Killings and the moral order

This post by Eugene Volokh has aroused a storm of controversy, not least because of Volokh's (deserved) reputation as the "the blogosphere's most pleasant and erudite right-wing lawyer."

Civilized people such as ourselves read the account of the execution in horror. We see primitive bloodlust. Our sense of decency is outraged. Yet the crime provokes a visceral reaction because it is an abomination, a violation of the natural order. The executioners hark back to the furies of ancient Greece. They are restoring the moral balance. And the sight is ugly.

But ask yourself this: How did you react when you first read about the Atlanta child murders?

Also, let's spare some outrage for the cruel and unusual punishment being carried out under the banner of our enlightened system of laws. The victim is blameless and by all accounts she is sentient. Yet she is being starved to death, a killing that could take as long as two weeks.

Time to ponder another killing? (Via Galley Slaves ). In this case, the civilized world cannot even agree whether the victim was a human being.

Update: Volokh details why he finds counterarguments "unpersuasive."