Harm

[lemmingllama]

So before I get into this topic, I want to first off explain something called Mill's Harm Principle. It is that people should be free to do what they want as long as they are not harming others, at least unless those others consent to it. Basically, be free if you dont harm others.

Now we can get to the meat of this discussion. So lets now introduce two people, lets call them Anne and Zahira. Anne is peppered with pebbles while walking on the beach, so she is harmed. Zahira is mugged for wearing her veils and Muslim garb, so she is harmed. This is easy, since we can see and understand the effects of physical harm. Also, to relate to Mill, the ruffians are inflicting harm without justification and without consent, so it is harm and it is bad. Now how about mental harm? It is not so easy to see or categorize.

So Zahira is a modest Muslim woman who believes that the human body should be covered. However, Anne is very open about her sexuality and suntanned naked in her backyard. These two are neighbours, and both can see each other as Zahira does her gardening in her backyard fully clothed, whereas Anne is naked and suntanning. Zahira finds Anne's naked body to be offensive, but is she harmed? Anne feels the disapproving stare of Zahira, but is she harmed? Now, Zahira goes and askes Anne to stop sunbathing naked. Immediately, Anne refuses and leaves. Now both feel guilty, since they stop and see it from the other person's perspective. Are they harmed by feeling guilty?

So the point that I am trying to get across is, WHAT IS HARM? WHERE DOES HARM BEGIN AND WHERE DOES IT END? It is easy to see the physical hurts, but are mental or emotional hurts truely harm? And is there a certain severity of something that then dictates it as harm?

[Ayrtoo]

I dont really have a definition for harm as its kind of a paradox...?

But all that i really do know is that harm is enevitable and cant really be prevented.

[lemmingllama]

I dont really have a definition for harm as its kind of a paradox...?

But all that i really do know is that harm is enevitable and cant really be prevented.

Would you care to elaborate as to how harm is a paradox? If that was the case, then the world would explode or something everytime someone was injured...

[Katongo]

Brilliant question, i really never thought of that. Now to answer the question with the limited knowledge i have.

So what is harm? From what i have researched Harm is any action that causes injury, hurt, damage, misfortune, detriment and that can be physically or mentially. We can be mentially harmed when we diminish our power of reasoning then we let others give us our conclusion of things thats one example.

Where does harm begin? Do correct me if am wrong but i think it begins when we make an offense but thats not always the case. An offense is defined has something that causes harm or you can argue saying any action that causes you to harm were the other person starts to feel harmed and ends when the action is carried out.

I will go back and review what i have written when i get more time but that it a brilliant question.