"In other ways, our touchy-feely era is way too interested in motives. This is why we now have stiffer penalties for hate crimes (which must be distinguished from those ordinary, run-of-the-mill love crimes)." -- Douglas Wilson, A Justice Primer
Feelings are difficult to define. Facts are easy to establish. Feelings are subjective. Facts are objective. Feelings can be hard to describe. Facts must be able to be described. Motives are helpful in attempting to help the person, but not in establishing the facts of their case. The reason why the crime was committed is not an additional crime. There are certainly better reasons to break the law than others, but the reasons are not admissible as evidence in establishing the fact. They may play a role in considering proper discipline or punishment, but they are not necessary for determining the facts of what happened.
"Motives matter.
Rightly balanced and rightly known, motives matter to persons,
and in personal relationships, but there are important places in
our consideration where we do not and must not factor them in." -- Douglas Wilson, A Justice Primer
There is a time to wonder why, but that time is not when attempting to establish timelines or matters of fact.
No comments:
Post a Comment