/lit/ - Literature

>>12278238

If that is what you mean, then you're making the argument that the death penalty means that society does not value life. However this argument is shortsighted, because it doesn't consider the overall benefit that can be wrought through the implementation of a punishment. Sure a punishment is bad, but only in the narrowest sense. It is bad for the person being punished, but it is a boon to the greater society since it discourages activity which would have an effect even worse than the narrow effect of a punishment on an individual.

Sorry I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean. Are you saying that the society of The Stranger didn't value life because they found Meursault guilty of murder?

I should have known that no one who reads the bible would come to lit lol.

>>12278176
To clarify what I initially meant, a society values the lives of those inside the society. Meursault is punished for violating a rule of the society he is a member of.

>>12278157
My initial point was that it is exactly a platitude everyone pays head to. That's how society functions. Everyone agrees on rules, and then whatever follows, follows.

>>12278100
I don't think you're being altogether fair in your responses. You're discussing really firnge cases, when the point I'm making is that if you ask any given person on the street if human life has value, you will receive the answer, "Yes, of course", the vast majority of the time. I'm not even saying this response is correct, I'm just saying that many people will give it.

>>12278103
Thanks!

For someone who isn't religious, is it worthwhile to slog through the entire thing for historical / social context? If you're someone already familiar with the most common sections and stories especially. What about the Torah or Quran for someone unfamiliar with Jewish or Islamic thought.Is there major literary value in any religious text for a reader not interested in religion?

>>12278083
It depends how you define "consent". If you mean war, then I would argue that the people killed are not a part of the society, and so are excluded from its benefits. If you mean domestic crime / killing, then there is no consent. We routinely punish killers with very harsh sentences.

>>12278072
If you really think that what I'm saying is wrong, can you name a society which is indifferent to killing? It seems to me that one of them most basic functions of society is mutual survival

>>12278072
You disagree that the societal consensus is that lives have value?

>>12278051

You can debate about what "value" means in the philosophical sense, but I used it in the commonly understood way. It's a basic axiom of society that life is "good" and should be protected within reason. Whether the axiom is objectively true doesn't really matter since most everyone agrees on it.

The part of the book which most stuck out to me is when Meursault finally speaks up in court. When he is asked why he killed the Arab, he answers, "it was the sun". Meursault is unable to justify his own action, which speaks to the fact that it really seem to be objectively immoral. He has no reason to kill, and yet does regardless. Meursault really doesn't see in value in the lives of others, and so he deserves to be tried and punished.

>>12278029

Very true

I think it's important to realize that while Meursault did nothing wrong according to his own moral code (nothing is more valuable than anything else). He undoubtedly violated the moral code of his society. He is punished for his failure to conform, which is neither a positive nor a negative. He is tried and convicted on the basis of failing to observe the social and moral rules laid out by his society.

>>12271043
It's hyperbolic to call anything "an elite level of intelligence", but reading really odes make you smarter, especially if you do it consistently. It's also a really healthy hobby.

>>12272412
That may be true but they sell for $5 each every summer, which is all i can afford.

>>12272364

Bonus Pic 2

>>12272357

Bonus Pic 1

You guys have no aesthetics :)