ETHICS IN KILLING.

Running head: ETHICS IN KILLING
ETHICS IN KILLING
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1ETHICS IN KILLING
As stated by Singer (2015), the notion of ethics had gained a substantial amount of
prominence in the present times and is being used for the analysis of the different activities or for
that matter the behavior displayed by the individuals. Bovenkerk and Braithwaite (2016) are of
the viewpoint that the adequate usage of the notion of ethics or morals informs the individuals
about the rightness or the wrongness of the actions or the behavior displayed by them and
thereby helps in the required behavioral changes on their part. However, with the extensive usage
of the different innovative technologies for killing the lines of ethics or morals have become
blurred and thereby the notions of ethics and morals are becoming lesser important (Lazar 2018).
For instance, earlier the act of killing regardless of the intentions of the killers or for that matter
the circumstances which had propelled them to indulge in the act of killing was considered to be
completely unethical and also derogatory (Tannsjo 2015). Presently, with the emergence of the
techniques of remote killing and others the lack of ethicality involved in the concerned process
had diminished (Frowe 2015). More importantly, it had been seen that the individuals justify
their action of killing through remote control stating the fact that they have not actually killed
any individual through their actions rather they have just pushed the button of the remote. This
essay intends to analyze the ethical considerations involved in actual killing and the killing
which had been done through remote control and show that both of them are highly unethical in
nature.
Armstrong and Botzler (2016) are of the viewpoint that the act of killing had been
repudiated over the years by the different religions and also the religious texts associated with
the same as well and this in turn had discouraged the individuals from indulging in the concerned
act. Adding to this, Nelson et al. (2016) have noted that the different religious texts like The
Bible and others have clearly stated that God is the creator and the destroyer of all life forms on

2ETHICS IN KILLING
the planet and thus the human beings should not indulge in the act of killing the other living
forms. More importantly, it had been seen that the different theories of ethics also repudiate the
act of killing by stating that it is completely unethical for the individuals to take the life of the
other individuals no matter the reasons which are involved in the process (Vaughn 2015). As
discussed by Himes (2015), the primary precept of the ethical theory of Utilitarianism is the fact
that the individuals are required to indulge in the kind of actions which are likely to cause the
maximum amount of benefit to the maximum number of people. Furthermore, it is seen that the
process of killing rather than causing any benefit to the concerned individuals or for that matter
their family members causes a substantial amount of grief to them (Schwarz 2016). Thus, it can
be said that the process of killing other individuals on the basis of this particular ethical theory
becomes completely unjustified as well as derogatory. However, at the same time it needs to be
said that the process of euthanasia is an exception to this since it is intended for relieving the pain
as well as the suffering of the individuals (Gordon 2015).
As discussed by De Sio (2017), euthanasia is the process which offers the opportunity to
the terminally ill patients or for that matter the patients who have no hope of getting better to end
their life through medical aid. Adding to this, Tank and Thiele (2019) have noted that the process
of euthanasia helps the patients to end their life with dignity and respect and thus is often
encouraged by the different medical or for that matter the healthcare professionals. Furthermore,
it had been seen that this act of killing finds adequate amount of support from the different
ethical theories like Utilitarianism, Kantianism and others (Gregory 2017). Kipnis and Meyers
(2019) are of the viewpoint that the primary precept of the ethical theory of Kantianism is the
fact that the “end justifies the means that had been taken for the attainment of the concerned
end”. In this relation, it needs to be said that the main objective of the process of euthanasia is to

3ETHICS IN KILLING
relieve the suffering as well as the pain of the individual and thus the method or for that matter
the process which is being used by the healthcare professionals for the attainment becomes
completely ethical or justified because of the benefit or the end result that the individuals are
being able to derive through the same (Wibben 2016).
Etzioni and Etzioni (2017) are of the viewpoint that the process of euthanasia is an
exception and should not be confused or for that matter generalized with the other forms of
killing like revenge killing, honor killing, terrorism and others. Adding to this, Carrick, Connelly
and Robinson (2016) have noted that these forms of killing not only take of life of numerous
innocent people but at the same time inflict a substantial amount of pain and suffering to the
individuals who are involved in the concerned people. More importantly, it had been seen that
the killers try to pin down the root cause of their action to the injustices that they have faced, the
social deprivation and other factors that have propelled or for that matter influenced them to
indulge in such actions (Amato, Citti and Huelsenbeck 2015). For instance, Osama Bin Laden
stated that the primary factor which influenced him to undertake the 9/11 attack was the injustice
which was committed by the USA against the Middle East Nations (Kasperbauer and Sandøe
2016). However, at the same time it needs to be said that although the factors which motivated
Laden to undertake the concerned act of mass killing were completely valid yet the action which
was performed by him was not valid or justified. For instance, the action committed by Laden
took the life of thousands of people who had not performed any injustice against Laden or for
that matter against the Middle East nations rather the acts of injustices were being committed by
the national government of USA which was being controlled by a handful of people (Pojman and
Fieser 2017). Thus, it can be regardless of the factors or for that matter the causes which