Should Everything Wrong Be Illegal?

[_DarkHelmet]

People disagree on what things are "wrong", so there is no possible way to make everything that is wrong illegal. Most things that society collectively decided are wrong have already been made illegal. So who decides when something goes from being wrong to being officially illegal? While not perfect, I like the US system of making and enforcing laws. One issue we have is when something was deemed wrong, then became illegal, but then stopped being wrong, like interracial marriage, yet it remains illegal but unenforced. There are a lot of activities that are illegal but not wrong in this country.

[_EAllusion]

All actions that are illegal should be morally wrong, but not every morally wrong action should be illegal. The morally wrong actions not touched by the law should be those where ordinary legal penalties are not appropriate to the offense or where potential for government misjudgment and abuse is large.

Adultery comes to mind as a good example of something where that are at least forms of it that are clearly morally wrong, but also should not be illegal. That's because the type of relationship entanglements and psychic harms adultery entails the government is likely to do a poor job adjudicating to desirable results.

[_ajax18]

All actions that are illegal should be morally wrong

Is it morally wrong to enter another country illegally and refuse to leave? Your statement just caught me off guard because I'm pretty sure your answer to my question would be no.

On a side note should saying the N word be a misdemeanor or a felony in your view?

[_EAllusion]

All actions that are illegal should be morally wrong

Is it morally wrong to enter another country illegally and refuse to leave? Your statement just caught me off guard because I'm pretty sure your answer to my question would be no.

Depends on the circumstances.

I think you might have read what I said backwards, though. I'm saying anything that is made illegal should have a case that it is morally wrong. Illegal activities are a subset of immoral activities, in other words.

On a side note should saying the N word be a misdemeanor or a felony in your view?

Lol. I'm a stronger opponent of policing speech than you are. That's the benefit of being principled rather than a hack.

[_huckelberry]

[quote="ajax18"][quote]All actions that are illegal should be morally wrong[/quote]

Is it morally wrong to enter another country illegally and refuse to leave? Your statement just caught me off guard because I'm pretty sure your answer to my question would be no.

On a side note should saying the N word be a misdemeanor or a felony in your view?[/quote]

Should I assume you are speaking of Americans living in Texas New Mexico Arizona and California? Those areas were Mexico until Americans moved in and refused to leave.

[_DoubtingThomas]

People disagree on what things are "wrong", so there is no possible way to make everything that is wrong illegal.

Right, but actions that can cause bodily injury or PTSD to others (or to most people) should clearly be illegal. We can debate about the rest because there is no god to guide us.

[_ajax18]

We can debate about the rest because there is no god to guide us.

Good luck with that.

[_ajax18]

I guess I just can't see how the law has any root in morality. The law is made by the sovereign. The sovereign does not have to be moral in any way and that includes democratic majorities. The only thing the sovereign needs is the loyalty of the military. That's what determines what is legal and illegal, not whether something is moral or immoral.

It's a wonderful thing that an all powerful God is perfectly moral as well. We're very lucky that it is this way in eternity. It certainly doesn't have to be as this world allows us to see every day.

[_Res Ipsa]

Should I assume you are speaking of Americans living in Texas New Mexico Arizona and California? Those areas were Mexico until Americans moved in and refused to leave.

Then let's take a different scenario without this convenient excuse for global socialism. Is it morally wrong for Africans to illegally immigrate to Europe? Is it morally wrong for Europeans to set a limit on how many impoverished African immigrants they will accept per year?

I guess I just can't see how the law has any root in morality. The law is made by the sovereign. The sovereign does not have to be moral in any way and that includes democratic majorities.

It's a wonderful thing that an all powerful God is perfectly moral as well. We're very lucky that it is this way. It certainly doesn't have to be as this world allows us to see.

Ajax, you’re answering the question exactly backwards. What’s immoral about people changing the location of their residence? If it’s not immoral? Why should it be illegal?

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

No. It’s an impossible task since few of share fundamentally compatible ethos's. I guess illegality, for me, is determined when someone breaks a contract with another, whether it’s social or conventional. Perhaps it’s more along the lines when someone can seek redress for a measurable or demonstrable wrong either for themselves or for the vulnerable.

But that’s the thing, and why our legal system is vast, because nuance and circumstance will dictate every scenario in which a wrong is assessed as such.

- Doc