A critique of moral relativism

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A man butchers your four year old daughter, i.e. he murdered her. Is what he has done right or wrong? Are there any circumstances to where this man would actually be in the right?

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She picked up a live hand grenade and is just about to pull the pin. The man was across the room and the only way to stop her quickly enough was to put a bullet in her skull, saving himself and the 20 other people in the room.The man, and the 20 other people in the world, are (as far as you know) the last people in the world who are not infected with an extremely virulent, highly contagious and fatal disease. The man and his 4 year old daughter show up outside the house you have barricaded yourself in. Just before you all decide to let them in, becasue they are starving, the daughter begins to show signs of the disease. You decide to kill her, because she can't be allowed to infect any of you, and it is more humane than letting her starve to death. Edited by nator, : No reason given.

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Well, then, that wouldn't be murder now would it...?

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Why wouldn't it be murder?Lots of people would consider it murder.In the case of the diseased child, a court of law would definitely consider it murder.Let's add that the man who decides to shoot the four year old before she pulls the pin of the grenade is also a serial killer of children, and was planning to kill her anyway, and was going to take great pleasure in doing so. The fact that he also saved 20 adults by killing her was just a happy side effect.Did he murder her or not?The action is the same, either way.

Edited by nator, : No reason given.

Edited by nator, : No reason given.