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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 Thu, 18 Jun 2015 17:53:38 +0200, Alex W. wrote:

> 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.

It also depends on the teller of the joke and the joke itself.
A Jew telling Jewish jokes or a Nigerian telling black jokes would be Ok.
A Jew telling black jokes or a Nigerian telling Jewish jokes would be NOT 
be Ok.

>> 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.

-- 
Smiler, The godless one.
aa #2279
Gods are all tailored to order. They are made 
to exactly fit the prejudices of the believer.

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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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