[brnstz]

Mob justice is not law.

For an illustration of this, check out the very first scene of the TV series Deadwood. There's a lynch mob outside the sheriff's office, and they want to kill the person in the jail. The sheriff fends them off so he can legally hang him instead.

The creator originally wanted to do a series on ancient Rome, about the birthplace of civilization. The studio wanted a Western. He said, oh, perfect, that works, too.

[shpxnvz]

And yet mob justice is exactly what we have in US, though sometimes with a legislative session's worth of delay. A constitutional republic protects against mob justice through individual guarantees of property and liberty, and further through strict limitations on the state's power. Our government, of course, has long since managed to rid itself of most of these limitations.

[brnstz]

Laws are not perfect. Sometimes you need a revolution (i.e., a mob).

[MrZongle2]

Perhaps citing a television show is not the most credible evidence one can bring to a discussion?

Edit (since I cannot reply directly, apparently): why is it not credible?

Can I start citing the X-Files or Star Trek? How about a broadcast of the Nancy Grace show?

[brnstz]

Why is it not credible? That scene illustrates a point even more abstract than the one we are discussing.

If the result is the same (the prisoner dies), does it matter whether a legal authority performs the killing, or whether a mob does? I think it does.

You may not agree with the legal authority's process or laws, but at the very least it is written down.

[thaumasiotes]

To illustrate a concept? Fictional media are ideal, as they can have the facts go however they want. What difference are you hallucinating between citing a philosophical paper discussing a thought experiment, and citing a television show?

[dinkumthinkum]

You really have trouble with this kind of discussion? I'm not sure what would fix this thinking ... Maybe you should read books or learn thought experiments or just start with basic metaphors ... hrrmphh! I'm stumped!

[steveklabnik]

> (since I cannot reply directly, apparently)

HN hides these links to prevent very quick back-and-forth. Either wait a few minutes or click the 'link' link.

[MrZongle2]

Thank you. I wasn't aware of that.