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This is true whether the sacrificing of virgins yields a better crop or not. Either the Aztecs were justified in their savage slaughter by virtue of their thinking that it would save millions from hunger, or the Western dictum that the "ends do not justify the means" is true, and any measures that necessarily harm people are illicit, regardless of the noble ends cited to justify them.

At least for the Aztecs, they only sacrificed a few hundred people to ensure the well-being of millions. We're sacrificing the well-being of millions for the sake of hundreds (or thousands, perhaps).

The point is it doesn't matter what the ratio is. Utilitarianism is bunk, the ends don't justify the means, and necessarily evil means cannot be employed morally, regardless of the end.

This is true whether the sacrificing of virgins yields a better crop or not. Either the Aztecs were justified in their savage slaughter by virtue of their thinking that it would save millions from hunger, or the Western dictum that the "ends do not justify the means" is true, and any measures that *necessarily* harm people are illicit, regardless of the noble ends cited to justify them. At least for the Aztecs, they only sacrificed a few hundred people to ensure the well-being of millions. We're sacrificing the well-being of millions for the sake of hundreds (or thousands, perhaps). The point is it doesn't matter what the ratio is. Utilitarianism is bunk, the ends don't justify the means, and *necessarily evil means* cannot be employed morally, regardless of the end.

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[–] [deleted] • 1 pt

A few hundred people?

Wrong, the sacrificed tens of thousands.

[–] • 1 pt

I mean during any one harvest season, not throughout the entirety of their civilization.

And the numbers are irrelevant to my point anyway.

[–] • 0 pt

then why mention them?

[–] • 0 pt

Because the point leaves a stronger impression if the ratio for Covid is worse than the ratio for the Aztecs, but regardless of which ratio is worse, the fact that evil means are not justified by noble ends remains.

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

They sacrificed people for all kinds of crazy reasons. Something like one in six Aztec citizens would end their life as a sacrifice victim.