| > 1. Is life more important than liberty or vice versa? (ooh this reverses vs. the abortion issue regarding political lines) The trouble here is that, especially compared to loss of life, liberty is an abstraction, and the effects of removing it are difficult to quantify. For example, how much violence is prevented by armed citizens, which studies indicate are a major deterrent? (Keep in mind, police are rarely able to do anything more than identify bodies after-the-fact). [0][1] Or, to put it to the express purpose of the 2nd Amendment, what impact would total gun control have on the probability of the US eventually becoming a tyrannical state? Reasoning from first principles is definitely a good start. For example, no pro-choice advocate likes the idea of dead fetuses/babies (whichever term makes you feel more comfortable), just as no conservative likes the idea of sick grandmothers dying in their homes or poor people starving. There's still plenty of disagreement about how to get there, and a lot of it depends on how you define your terms, and how deeply you consider the indirect consequences of each side's proposed solution. [0] http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/nov/16/burglars-fear-resid... [1] http://people.duke.edu/~gnsmith/articles/myths.htm |