Thread by @eigenrobot

pacifism is not noble: it's an abdication of responsibility.

the cowardice of pacifism is not physical; pacifists are frequently willing to endure pain and injury.

it is instead the cowardice of refusing to pass judgment for fear of judging wrongly when judgment is *necessary*

the same cowardice animates the refusal of american cities to punish crime

"if I do not punish this man for his violations of the law, surely I cannot be held in the wrong"

no, actually, you can be blamed for abdicating your duty to pass required judgment

no one should be eager to pass judgment because the righteousness or injustice of one's decisions *should* weigh heavily

responsibility for judgment is a burden

wearing it lightly is one error; refusing to take it up at all is another

undergirding this trend, which i see as broader than these examples, is a contemporary lack of moral grounding

one must have _some_ ethical frame of reference in which to make a judgment if they are to be at all confident in their decision; one must have a sense of how to judge

our old systems of morality were dissolved in the churn of the twentieth century and the successors are of no use

contemporary hamartiology ascribes evil to systems and abstractions and in doing so removes man as a moral actor

so of course: how could we judge another?

well. i hope some are able to find the courage of their convictions, and sooner rather than later.

i judge this a sick double dactyl

@RolandWank i've also opposed every war that my country's been involved in since my majority on the grounds that they were incredibly stupid, if that's what you're asking about.

@MagusGenji and to be clear i mean the story i think is bad is "i wouldnt do anything bc violence is always wrong"

@sterespect anyway im not meaning to criticize pacifism-as-self defense here, rather the more radical variety

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