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Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/

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On 18/06/2015 12:07, Malcolm McMahon wrote:
> On Thursday, 18 June 2015 08:51:06 UTC+1, hypatiab7  wrote:
>> This is an aa thread for atheists only, as per all the alt.atheism FAQs.
>> Lurker atheists are welcome. PLEASE DON'T FEED THE TROLLS. I know it's
>> hard, since they deliberately ask upsetting questions or lie about us,
>> but please try. I'm trying, too, and it ain't easy.
>>
>> #16. How would you draw the line between the rights of an individual vs.
>> society's right to make restrictive laws?
>
> On the basis of quantifiable harm. The harm prevented by a law must demonstrably exceed the harm done by enforcing it. (And enforcing criminal law is always doing harm).

That does not clarify matters much.
Harm is often hugely subjective and determined by the individual.  Take 
free speech: a joke about Jews or blacks may be ethnic assertiveness, 
racist cant or just observational humour -- it all depends on the 
listener.


>
> Then, of course, there's the often contentious question of defining harm. For example not paying your taxes causes harm, but its not so easily quantified as shooting your wife.
>

Quite so.  Not paying taxes may cause harm to the state by withholding 
funds the state requires to discharge its duties.  On the other hand, 
the money not paid in taxes is spent or invested which then benefits 
others.

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aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ hypatiab7 <hypatiab7@comcast.net> - 2015-06-18 00:51 -0700
  Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ Malcolm McMahon <malcolm.mc74@googlemail.com> - 2015-06-18 03:07 -0700
    Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN   INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ "Alex W." <ingilt@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-06-18 17:53 +0200
      Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN   INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ Smiler <smiler@jo.king> - 2015-06-18 20:42 +0000
        Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN     INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ "Alex W." <ingilt@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-06-21 12:46 +0200
          Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN     INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ Smiler <smiler@jo.king> - 2015-06-21 22:37 +0000
            Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN       INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ "Alex W." <ingilt@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-06-22 11:04 +0200
      Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ Malcolm McMahon <malcolm.mc74@googlemail.com> - 2015-06-22 09:01 -0700
  Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ raven1 <quoththeraven@nevermore.com> - 2015-06-18 08:49 -0400
  Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ Wexford Eire <wexford.eire.1798@gmail.com> - 2015-06-18 06:47 -0700
  Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ Paul <papa_fox@cybertown.com> - 2015-06-18 07:35 -0700
    Re: aa #16. HOW WOULD YOU DRAW THE LINE BETWEEN THE RIGHTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY'S RIGHT TO MAKE RESTRICTIVE LAWS/ wryan1776@gmail.com - 2015-06-18 10:30 -0700

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