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Comment by d-us-vb | Hacker News Reader

if cows, pigs, and chickens are real living beings, we are committing killing.

Whether killing is murder requires an ethical judgment to be made. If a criminal on death row is executed, we would not say they were murdered. At least, not until it is shown that they were innocent after the fact; in which case those who falsely accused him, botched evidence, mishandled the case may be ethically considered to have murdered him, or at the very least have committed negligent manslaughter, though legally speaking there are limitations.

Also, murder applies only to beings considered persons. As animals are not considered persons by most, it is a category error to suppose that they can be murdered.

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> If a criminal on death row is executed, we would not say they were murdered.

Who is "we" in this case.

In many if not most countries, capital punishment is viewed as a barbaric practice. Many regard it as murder, because as you note, it is the killing of a person.

You're being a bit ambiguous. I would say that in all countries, there exist individuals who in their own subjective opinion would view capital punishment as murder.

But you're not engaging with my point on its own terms, and as such are missing it entirely. In the case of an individual viewing capital punishment as murder requires an ethical judgment to be made, which is the point, not the example.

If an author says "we" and you disagree with them, it is not productive to nitpick about whom that class names: you already have enough information to answer it: a group the author is aware of and identifies with in regard to the following view. You reading it doesn't imply you're a part of the class.

Secondly, the usage of "we" in hypothetical discussion acts more as a fairly neutral stand in to satisfy English's requirement for an explicit subject, while setting the right tone.

But for the sake of precision, as no one is above a tacit request for precision...

If a criminal on death row is executed, one who views capital punishment as ethical would not describe the killing as murder.

> Also, murder applies only to beings considered [humans, ftfy]. As animals are not considered persons by most, it is a category error to suppose that they can be murdered.

Precisely. Just like it is a category error to see LLMs as conscient.

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