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Comment by ska | Hacker News Reader

   Why do you think it's more moral/ethical to abstain of supporting military?

What should you do if you support the ethics of self-defense aspects, but do not believe that [your countries] military is acting ethically? What is your morally consistent path? Other than voting, which is part of it.

This is a very old form of the argument you are putting forward, and while I can see how people will take it to inform their morals, it's also easy to see reasonable versions that reject it.

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Move to a different country, where you feel the history and current administration more closely align with your worldview. Voting with your feet is the best way to do so - especially if you feel you have the skills to do it.

Why should you move to a different country?

It's yours and you have every right to be there, and every right to complain about and protest things you don't like.

Of course, but if you don't believe in what the government is doing then why would you support it, and the community you live in, with your taxes or your additions to the GDP?

If you don't believe in someone robbing your house, or killing your family, should you just shrug your shoulders and move somewhere else?

That is also an old argument, but has fairly obvious weaknesses.

We are talking about morals here, after all. It can be the most rational path for you to work towards improving [in your mind] how things work where you are.

My question was genuine, by the way. I don't have the answers to any of this. I do distrust moral arguments that seem naive or overly simplistic.

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