Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Worse than politics and religion

From the AP wire service:
An argument in southern Russia over philosopher Immanuel Kant, the author of "Critique of Pure Reason," devolved into pure mayhem when one debater shot the other. 
A police spokeswoman in Rostov-on Don, Viktoria Safarova, said two men in their 20s were discussing Kant as they stood in line to buy beer at a small store on Sunday. The discussion deteriorated into a fistfight and one participant pulled out a small nonlethal pistol and fired repeatedly. 
The victim was hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening. Neither person was identified. 
It was not clear which of Kant's ideas may have triggered the violence.
It does seem clear, however, that the two were not discussing the categorical imperative, "Act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world."—unless moral irony runs rampant in Russia.

3 comments:

Mike said...

"Small nonlethal pistol"?

James R said...

Guns don't kill people, philosophical differences do.

Big Myk said...

"Small nonlethal pistol"?

My guess is either water pistols or rubber band pistols.