How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Have philosophical discussions about politics, law, and government.
Featured Article: Definition of Freedom - What Freedom Means to Me
ernestm
Posts: 433
Joined: March 5th, 2018, 4:27 am

How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by ernestm »

I just finished writing my own answer to that question from a wise child in #neveragain. I'd been trying to write if for four years, in fact, but this time I did finish it, and it's only 8,000 words.

As such my own opinion could be biased from overstudy.

Before publishing it in print, in about three months, I do want to hear other answers off the cuff, if you would be so kind to answer. If it makes sense to include in my book too, I would like to ask permission to include it.
Namelesss
Posts: 499
Joined: November 15th, 2017, 1:59 am

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by Namelesss »

ernestm wrote: March 8th, 2018, 9:48 pm I'd been trying to write if for four years, in fact, but this time I did finish it, and it's only 8,000 words.
That it took you so long, and so many words, illustrates your simple ethical confusion, not some 'rational conclusion', but a psychological rationalization!

I can do it in 16 words;
The 'good guy' doesn't shoot you (or anyone else)!
Actually, healthy 'good guys' don't need guns. *__-
Alias
Posts: 3119
Joined: November 26th, 2011, 8:10 pm
Favorite Philosopher: Terry Pratchett

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by Alias »

In the USA, all kinds of people have guns - not just guys, but dolls and ladies and little tykes, too.
You can learn something about a stranger by his or her bearing, speech and manners, but you can't know their degree of goodness without close acquaintance. You can very quickly learn their degree of badness in some extreme situation, but not if they're sneaky enough. A further complication is that most people don't know their own degree of goodness or potential badness until it's tested by extreme situations. Others still are bad in some ways and good in others, or bad in your estimation but good in their own, or vice versa. Then again, people who are half and half may consider using a gun for either good or bad or what they consider to be good or bad, in certain situation, but not in others.

To be on the safe side, it would be better if nobody had a gun and we explored our relative goodness by no-lethal means.
User avatar
Sy Borg
Site Admin
Posts: 14992
Joined: December 16th, 2013, 9:05 pm

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by Sy Borg »

There are two ways of telling whether a person with a gun is good or bad:

1. thorough psychometric testing

2. after the fact.
User avatar
jerlands
Posts: 431
Joined: December 12th, 2017, 10:56 pm

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by jerlands »

ernestm wrote: March 8th, 2018, 9:48 pm I just finished writing my own answer to that question from a wise child in #neveragain. I'd been trying to write if for four years, in fact, but this time I did finish it, and it's only 8,000 words.

As such my own opinion could be biased from overstudy.

Before publishing it in print, in about three months, I do want to hear other answers off the cuff, if you would be so kind to answer. If it makes sense to include in my book too, I would like to ask permission to include it.
Why guess, If anyone is walking around with a gun you should notify authorities. If you're asking how to tell a good cop from a bad cop.. just assume and treat them as respectfully as possible before you can make your exit.
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." - Mark Twain
User avatar
LuckyR
Moderator
Posts: 7932
Joined: January 18th, 2015, 1:16 am

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by LuckyR »

Some folks with guns carry a badge, some don't. If you live in a rural area they're probably both good guys. If you live in an urban area and you're white, the badge carrier has a much higher chance of being a good guy. If you are black, too bad, they're probably both bad.
"As usual... it depends."
Eduk
Posts: 2466
Joined: December 8th, 2016, 7:08 am
Favorite Philosopher: Socrates

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by Eduk »

We can't learn.
Unknown means unknown.
User avatar
SimpleGuy
Posts: 338
Joined: September 11th, 2017, 12:28 pm

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by SimpleGuy »

I would sometimes agree that both classes are identical, the good guys just hide behind their image. If we truly impose this question honestly we should think about the two dimensions of the problem psychology and society. Both cooperate and change the personality of an individual that much that they become the person they never intended to be.
User avatar
Sy Borg
Site Admin
Posts: 14992
Joined: December 16th, 2013, 9:05 pm

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by Sy Borg »

Is the person responsive to reason?
User avatar
LuckyR
Moderator
Posts: 7932
Joined: January 18th, 2015, 1:16 am

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by LuckyR »

Greta wrote: March 31st, 2018, 7:45 pm Is the person responsive to reason?
The majority of the bad guys aren't.
"As usual... it depends."
User avatar
SimpleGuy
Posts: 338
Joined: September 11th, 2017, 12:28 pm

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by SimpleGuy »

Well depends on the viewport of the spectator , as we've seen in falling down, the persons that are really dangerous are sometimes everyday people with a previously good reputation, whose life came somehow out of control. This may be caused by social, financial or health losses. Michael Douglas depicted the person he represented in the movie as a normal citizen in an interview.
User avatar
SimpleGuy
Posts: 338
Joined: September 11th, 2017, 12:28 pm

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by SimpleGuy »

Or just think about Robert de Niros Taxi-Driver (the movie), in which he depicts a veteran person who somehow cannot cope with the everyday life anymore. At least from the beginning depicted as a normal person.
User avatar
SimpleGuy
Posts: 338
Joined: September 11th, 2017, 12:28 pm

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by SimpleGuy »

I think the filmer László Krasznahorkai , said that the majority of those people have a different social standard than the average public official and that U.C.Davis Cost studies, show that others aren't that well off then.
User avatar
SimpleGuy
Posts: 338
Joined: September 11th, 2017, 12:28 pm

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by SimpleGuy »

And Lszlo Krasznahorkai, is such good writer of novels, that he received the 2015 den Man Booker International Prize.
User avatar
Sy Borg
Site Admin
Posts: 14992
Joined: December 16th, 2013, 9:05 pm

Re: How do we learn who is a good guy with a gun, and a bad guy with a gun?

Post by Sy Borg »

LuckyR wrote: April 1st, 2018, 1:37 am
Greta wrote: March 31st, 2018, 7:45 pm Is the person responsive to reason?
The majority of the bad guys aren't.
Yes. I find there are two keys - openness and responsiveness to reason.

In my experience if someone is not open and not responsive to reason then they are either seeking to gain advantage for a hidden agenda or neurotic.
Post Reply

Return to “Philosophy of Politics”

2023/2024 Philosophy Books of the Month

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise
by John K Danenbarger
January 2023

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023

The Unfakeable Code®

The Unfakeable Code®
by Tony Jeton Selimi
April 2023

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
by Alan Watts
May 2023

Killing Abel

Killing Abel
by Michael Tieman
June 2023

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead
by E. Alan Fleischauer
July 2023

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough
by Mark Unger
August 2023

Predictably Irrational

Predictably Irrational
by Dan Ariely
September 2023

Artwords

Artwords
by Beatriz M. Robles
November 2023

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope
by Dr. Randy Ross
December 2023

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes
by Ali Master
February 2024

2022 Philosophy Books of the Month

Emotional Intelligence At Work

Emotional Intelligence At Work
by Richard M Contino & Penelope J Holt
January 2022

Free Will, Do You Have It?

Free Will, Do You Have It?
by Albertus Kral
February 2022

My Enemy in Vietnam

My Enemy in Vietnam
by Billy Springer
March 2022

2X2 on the Ark

2X2 on the Ark
by Mary J Giuffra, PhD
April 2022

The Maestro Monologue

The Maestro Monologue
by Rob White
May 2022

What Makes America Great

What Makes America Great
by Bob Dowell
June 2022

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!
by Jerry Durr
July 2022

Living in Color

Living in Color
by Mike Murphy
August 2022 (tentative)

The Not So Great American Novel

The Not So Great American Novel
by James E Doucette
September 2022

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches
by John N. (Jake) Ferris
October 2022

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All
by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
November 2022

The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

The Smartest Person in the Room
by Christian Espinosa
December 2022

2021 Philosophy Books of the Month

The Biblical Clock: The Untold Secrets Linking the Universe and Humanity with God's Plan

The Biblical Clock
by Daniel Friedmann
March 2021

Wilderness Cry: A Scientific and Philosophical Approach to Understanding God and the Universe

Wilderness Cry
by Dr. Hilary L Hunt M.D.
April 2021

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute: Tools To Spark Your Dream And Ignite Your Follow-Through

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute
by Jeff Meyer
May 2021

Surviving the Business of Healthcare: Knowledge is Power

Surviving the Business of Healthcare
by Barbara Galutia Regis M.S. PA-C
June 2021

Winning the War on Cancer: The Epic Journey Towards a Natural Cure

Winning the War on Cancer
by Sylvie Beljanski
July 2021

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream
by Dr Frank L Douglas
August 2021

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts
by Mark L. Wdowiak
September 2021

The Preppers Medical Handbook

The Preppers Medical Handbook
by Dr. William W Forgey M.D.
October 2021

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress: A Practical Guide

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress
by Dr. Gustavo Kinrys, MD
November 2021

Dream For Peace: An Ambassador Memoir

Dream For Peace
by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
December 2021