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Article
A Secular Community May Not Execute Its Members
Harmony
  • Richard Stith, Valparaiso University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-1999
Disciplines
Abstract

The purpose of law is to provide a framework for the fulfillment of everyone in our community. We can disagree, debate, and vote about how much each of us should give of get to reach this goal. But we cannot begin to debate or doubt the wisdom of considering each human being an end rather than only a means. We as a community have problems, but none of us is the problem. Our problems are defined by the goal of universal human flourishing. To call that goal into question is to make coherent public discussion impossible. If people can just be used, for whom are we going to use them? Reason becomes at best a weapon for each faction to use to achieve domination over others.

Citation Information
Richard Stith, A Secular Community May Not Execute Its Members, Harmony, February, 1999.