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Single Idea 20288

[filed under theme 24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 4. Changing the State / c. Revolution ]

Full Idea

It would be one-sided to say that violent revolution is always absolutely wrong, without taking account of the evils that the revolutionaries are trying to stop.

Gist of Idea

You can't condemn violent revolution without assessing the evils it prevents

Source

Peter Singer (Practical Ethics [1979], 09)

Book Ref

Singer,Peter: 'Practical Ethics' [CUP 1989], p.197

A Reaction

This seems like common sense, but there are plenty of right-wing authoritarians who would claim that stable authority has priority over all social wrongs. I think that view is mistaken. But the problem is, how to know the future?

The 16 ideas from Peter Singer

21993 Materialist history says we are subject to incomprehensible forces [Singer]
21997 In Marxism the state will be superseded [Singer]
20276 Conflict of rules might be avoided by greater complexity, or by a hierarchy of rules [Singer]
20278 'Marginal utility' says something is more useful if it is in short supply [Singer]
20279 Equality of opportunity unfairly rewards those lucky enough to have great ability [Singer]
20277 Equality of interests is a minimal principle, not implying equal treatment [Singer]
20281 Why should I do anything for posterity? What has posterity ever done for me? [Singer]
20282 The sanctity of a human life depends either on being of our species, or on being a person [Singer]
20283 Killing a chimp is worse than killing a human too defective to be a person [Singer]
20284 Why should a potential person have the rights of an actual person? [Singer]
20285 If a right entails having the relevant desire, many creatures might have no right to life [Singer]
20287 If 49% of the population can be wrong, so can 51% [Singer]
20288 You can't condemn violent revolution without assessing the evils it prevents [Singer]
20286 Following an inner voice for morality is irresponsible in a rational agent [Singer]
20290 Psychopaths may just be bored, because they cannot participate in normal emotional life [Singer]
20289 Ethics is universalisable - it must involve an impartial and universal view of things [Singer]