Frustration wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 7:48 pm
Since the intention was to save the boy's life, it would probably be quite hard to get Earthforce to agree to extradite, even if the parents wished to prosecute. They didn't seem angry, just grief-stricken.
I might be wrong since I am not a doctor or a lawyer but I think parents have the final say over their child. I think Jehovah's Witnesses believe in this. Or at least not giving blood. So if the parents are Jehovah's Witnesses, they might be able to reject surgery even if it means the child will die and doctors have to obey their wishes.
Parents killing their child in the name of their religion still gets the parents into prison though.
McAvoy wrote: ↑Sun Jan 16, 2022 5:56 amParents killing their child in the name of their religion still gets the parents into prison though.
Would that even fall into Earthforce's jurisdiction, especially on a station that's basically the UN building in space? I'm sure prosecuting parents murdering their child on foreign soul would be valid in today's world, but sci-fi works are usually vague on... well, a variety of legal subjects.
McAvoy wrote: ↑Sun Jan 16, 2022 5:56 amParents killing their child in the name of their religion still gets the parents into prison though.
Would that even fall into Earthforce's jurisdiction, especially on a station that's basically the UN building in space? I'm sure prosecuting parents murdering their child on foreign soul would be valid in today's world, but sci-fi works are usually vague on... well, a variety of legal subjects.
The civilian part of the station is under Earthgov law at this point in the series. The various diplomats and their staffs would have diplomatic immunity protections from most civilian prosecution, but the aliens just traveling through would still be subject to the law. Though there is mention in the episode that the family's homeworld does not have official relations with Earth so their legal status is somewhat ambiguous, and what happened is not illegal to their species.
A managed democracy is a wonderful thing... for the managers... and its greatest strength is a 'free press' when 'free' is defined as 'responsible' and the managers define what is 'irresponsible'.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
McAvoy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 4:56 amTrue. Basically if this kid lived, he would have been an outcast never to set foot on his own home world.
And probably without his parents too. Or parents would have accompanied him and perhaps become outcasts themselves.
Yeah, the larger more interesting issue here is not, "Should we let the child die or not?" which is what a lot of people would obviously say but how do we interact with a culture that has such dramatically varied beliefs. Franklin believed everything would work out because he was doing the right thing by hsi culture and in the process violated a huge number of taboos that ended in the worst possible way for everyone.
Which is a very common thing when dramatically different cultures interact.
This reminds me of the Star Trek episode about euthanasia. It's not that the guy living isn't a good thing (he's clearly not in pain and has great quality of life) but the fact they can't really get around the guy's culture and attempts to do would detsroy him.
McAvoy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 4:56 amTrue. Basically if this kid lived, he would have been an outcast never to set foot on his own home world.
And probably without his parents too. Or parents would have accompanied him and perhaps become outcasts themselves.
Yeah, the larger more interesting issue here is not, "Should we let the child die or not?" which is what a lot of people would obviously say but how do we interact with a culture that has such dramatically varied beliefs. Franklin believed everything would work out because he was doing the right thing by hsi culture and in the process violated a huge number of taboos that ended in the worst possible way for everyone.
Which is a very common thing when dramatically different cultures interact.
This reminds me of the Star Trek episode about euthanasia. It's not that the guy living isn't a good thing (he's clearly not in pain and has great quality of life) but the fact they can't really get around the guy's culture and attempts to do would detsroy him.
Half a Life I believe is named of that episode.
It is interesting but my original though is that we do have some rsali life examples of this B5 episode already happening
Not taking the covid-19 vaccine is the most recent thing where people use 'religious exemption' to get out of it.
One thing not really thought about is how this B5 alien race deals with accidents. Imagine you are walking in a nice peaceful forest and you walk into a particularly sharp branch of a tree that punctures your forehead skin down to the skull.
So this guy is a zombie. Or does their religion accept accidents as not being part of the whole losing the soul. You could imagine how low the population could be if they were dead strict on that rule. Morticians on that world would be rich as hell.
Or teach the kid to say "My mom and dad are dead, and they're from [different part of planet name]" and nobody would ever know, and thus continue to treat him exactly like everyone else. This is why I say that Franklin wasn't wrong in what he did, he was wrong in not finding out about the consequences and being more drastic in his actions.
McAvoy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 22, 2022 6:29 am
One thing not really thought about is how this B5 alien race deals with accidents. Imagine you are walking in a nice peaceful forest and you walk into a particularly sharp branch of a tree that punctures your forehead skin down to the skull.
So this guy is a zombie. Or does their religion accept accidents as not being part of the whole losing the soul. You could imagine how low the population could be if they were dead strict on that rule. Morticians on that world would be rich as hell.
You're trying to build a logical system out of an irrational belief. The answer, if there is one at all, will be arbitrary.
