I'm curious about what makes people obey the law. Is it a respect for the law, or a fear of the consequences of breaking the law? Example... let's say (pretend the law worked this way, and the penalty for breaking the law was handled perfectly every time - HA! :lol that if you killed someone, you would be executed, no ifs, ands, or buts. Would you not kill someone because you respected the law itself... or because of fear of the consequences of breaking the law?
Kind of like an eye for an eye?? If you are asking me why I wouldn't kill someone because of a) I respect the law or b) because of the punishment I would get I would say c!!! I don't want to kill anyone!!! I guess that is more of a moral issue.
What in the world. Okay, I DID change the title of the other thread (thought I was losing my mind for a minute)... but it still posted the with the old title... and now this one has popped up (which was my final revised version.) :?
Interesting question! I think the answer to that would be different for different people and for different crimes. For example, I don't exceed the speed limit (by more than about 8-10 mph) because I don't want to pay the fines and insurance costs. But I don't steal because my moral compass tells me it's wrong. I think most people who commit premeditated murder do not expect to get caught, so the punishment is not a big factor. And if the murder is not premeditated, they really are not thinking of consequences anyway.
