Context
"Is photography a crime?" The question is framed in such a way that it wants to be answered "No." The author might have had a bias.
"Is photography a crime?"
The answer to the question is the answer to most questions. Maybe. It's not the most informative answer, but it's the most honest one.
The set-up lacks context, and when judging an action, context is all important. That's the problem with mandatory minimums and the like. A human observer tends to be a much better judge of context.
Is photography a crime? It is when you take explicit pictures of minors, or infringe upon someone's privacy.
There are some words that come with an inherent context. Perjury is certainly a crime, as is Murder, as is Theft. There are mitigating circumstances even then, but words such as those are almost nearly the definition of crime.
There's apparently a philosophy that a person should go through life without ever lying. If the question is phrased "Is lying bad?" there's room for debate. The answer is obviously "Maybe." But give the lie context and there will often be a more obvious answer. White lies will still be up for debate, there's no way of knowing if you should tell a guy that his comb over is not at all convincing. But there are good lies and bad lies. And lies that hurt no one at all.
"Is photography a crime?"
The answer to the question is the answer to most questions. Maybe. It's not the most informative answer, but it's the most honest one.
The set-up lacks context, and when judging an action, context is all important. That's the problem with mandatory minimums and the like. A human observer tends to be a much better judge of context.
Is photography a crime? It is when you take explicit pictures of minors, or infringe upon someone's privacy.
There are some words that come with an inherent context. Perjury is certainly a crime, as is Murder, as is Theft. There are mitigating circumstances even then, but words such as those are almost nearly the definition of crime.
There's apparently a philosophy that a person should go through life without ever lying. If the question is phrased "Is lying bad?" there's room for debate. The answer is obviously "Maybe." But give the lie context and there will often be a more obvious answer. White lies will still be up for debate, there's no way of knowing if you should tell a guy that his comb over is not at all convincing. But there are good lies and bad lies. And lies that hurt no one at all.