[Avodah] Balancing needs

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Jan 04, 2012 at 10:50:29AM -0000, Chana Luntz wrote:
: On a more philosophical note, is not this debate reminiscent of the
: debates over utilitarianism...

I think halakhah reflects a greater concern over deontological ethics
rather than consequentialist ones. IOW, we care more about minimizing
the number of murderers than minimizing the number of murdered. I'm
not utilitarianism fits, if I am correct.

This is why, when a group of Jews is told to pick one to be killed or
all will, they may not choose. (Unless one if chayav misah, or named
in the threat, and then machloqes abounds.) Even though whomever they
pick out is one of the "all" would would get killed anyway. Because
deontologically, by choosing one of their number to turn over to the
killers, they participate in the murder.

I suggested this in
<http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol28/v28n093.shtml#03>, and reffered
the chevrah to R' Michael J Harris's article in Torah uMadda Journal at
<http://www.scribd.com/doc/32656397/Untitled>.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             With the "Echad" of the Shema, the Jew crowns
micha at aishdas.org        G-d as King of the entire cosmos and all four
http://www.aishdas.org   corners of the world, but sometimes he forgets
Fax: (270) 514-1507      to include himself.     - Rav Yisrael Salanter