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Originally Posted by David Sklansky
1. It has nothing to do with the reason people owned slaves. Any more than if I shot you and the ensuing surgery resulting in them finding a tumor that now can be removed and would have otherwise killed you. A slave would be doing nothing immoral if he murdered his owner to attain freedom even if his life would have been better if he remained a slave. Its thus pretty hard to argue that a slaveholder is doing good if its moral to kill him to stop it.
I don't accept your premise that it's moral for the slave to kill his owner, so I don't accept your conclusion/last sentence.
Christianity is very clear on this point: "slaves, obey your masters". I'm not sure where Judaism stands.
Is it moral for a man locked up for life on a drugs charge, which he doesn't agree with, to kill his prison warden if it allows him to escape? Or a simpler case: to kill his arresting officer, who's about to take away his freedom for the rest of his life, in something worse than slavery, because he has pot and it's his third strike? The cop profits from this enterprise just as a slave owner would.
So I'm not sure I'm down with your rationalizing of murder.
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2. Many people would prefer a significantly lousier life if it meant freedom. That is for them to decide.
Yes but we're talking about this in the context of the morality of God quasi endorsing slavery - or at least not condemning before Jesus. Would God be right to end slavery so that people could have lousier, free lives?
I contend that from a sufficiently far perspective, the world is richer in experience and emotion and spiritual growth and cultural exploration with slavery in it. Given that, what is a God to do?
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3. If you truly felt that a person would be better off as your slave then the right thing to do with him is to give him a choice. Free him and see if he chooses to stay. And promise that if he sees that he can't make it on his own you will take him back.
Using the fact that he might be better off as a slave is rationalizing claptrap.
I'm coming from the perspective of what a God should do, not if it is moral for an individual to own slaves.
Also, in the old world, most slaves - without property, without cultural connections, are guaranteed to die or live horrible lives. Much of the Muslim world is like that right now for women - they can't leave the house without a male relative escort, they can't work or socialize outside their ownership circle, and are essentially trapped slaves because all of society would shun them if they tried to go out on their own.