Please correct me if I am wrong because I am slightly fuzzy on the details, but why is it assumed that the actions done by JGY were purely in self preservation? I don't think we can believe all his claims at Guanyin Temple, because A) He was already established as a manipulative character and B) He was trying to convince LXC, his only potential ally, of his innocence. I am genuinely asking because from how I interpreted the text (purely subjective), it doesn't seem like we are supposed to believe everything he says.
And once again, I am fuzzy on the details, but the curse on Jin Zixun, or even the killing of Nie Mingjue doesn't make sense as an act of protection, because if I recall correctly, JGY had been in the process of somewhat regaining the trust of NMJ, which would have allowed him to turn the situation in his favour. Also, if we do talk about his primary motive to get to a position of safety, how do we determine what this position is? Is Chief Cultivator the only position where he is truly safe? Or would the future reign of Jin Zixuan, who treated him better than his father did, mean a better, safer position for JGY, if he had bided his time? Power means safety, absolutely, but at what point do we say his actions stopped being for protection and started being solely for power? I think that depends a lot of how individuals intepret the Guanyin Temple scene, so there won't be an objective answer.
In matters of intent, I am unfortunately a corp lawyer who really misses studying criminal law, and any discussion of mens rea will have me rambling way more than anyone would want. So to summarize my views, I would say intention matters because without intention it becomes very difficult to determine the morality of any action ( basic example would be why there is a lesser punishment for manslaughter than for culpable homicide). How dangerous someone is does matter, but your culpability for causing that danger again ties back to intention. (which is why someone who is legally unsound may be more dangerous than a legally sound person, but is seen as less culpable) (also relevant is that it is indicated that WWX, by a point, had become unstable, and while not unsound, was not fully in his right mind either).
Basically, from my perspective, WWX made horrible, horrible choices, which caused a lot of damage. If he had done so with malice, the consequences would be far far worse, and I agree, the Wens would not have survived because it would have triggered even worse escalation. JGY also made horrible, horrible choices., some of them out of necessity. But as per my interpretation (again, very subjective), he didn't just do it with the aim of self-preservation, he did it with malice, for political gain. And intention cannot be eliminated as a relevant consideration, because once we do that, we reach a slippery slope of essentially legal and moral chaos (not going to expand because I guarantee, I will end up rambling, but this is the most agreed upon perspective in most branches of jurisprudence, not sure about it works in moral philosophy).
Really sorry about how all over the place this reblog is, just putting my thoughts out there. TLDR; The veracity of JGY's claims is doubtful, and his actions show malicious intention. Intention absolutely matters, and that is what sets WWX and JGY apart.
ellievsbear
prguitarman
dededos
discoholicmusic
baratheonpilled
romaincrisis
