| A lot of people think murder is bad, except: - when it is in self defense - when it is done in the context of war - when the state executes a serial murderer And so on. If life were as simple and context free as you suggest we wouldn't need courts at all. Your honor, he stole babyfood from my store! Yes, but did he steal it to sell it or because he's too poor to afford it and needed to feed his baby ? What's the last time you saw a street person make a law on shoplifting ? In the law, and by extension in court, context is everything. |
> Your honor, he stole babyfood from my store! > Yes, but did he steal it to sell it or because he's too poor to afford it and needed to feed his baby ?
Having a need and stealing to fulfil it is still wrong. It does not matter what your motivation is – it is still not your property. I have respect for a person who break the law in the above case and face the law. But he should still receive his punishment.
To act as if he is not guilty is wrong – he is just as guilty of the crime as any other person who stole baby milk formula (whatever their motivation is).
A good example of moral relativism that I hate is so called “hate crimes”. Do you really care what the person’s motivation is when he murder/assaulted you?