The morality of writing How to ... books

[Syzygys]

So a guy writes a Pedophile How to.... book and gets arrested in Florida. But these issues are protected under free speech. After all there are Anarchist books on How to make a bomb and such and nobody is arrested for that. There are How to avoid taxes books, How to disappear, How to kill a mockingbird.

So what makes the difference, comes the philosophical question?

 

[cosmictraveler]

So a guy writes a Pedophile How to.... book and gets arrested in Florida. But these issues are protected under free speech. After all there are Anarchist books on How to make a bomb and such and nobody is arrested for that. There are How to avoid taxes books, How to disappear, How to kill a mockingbird.

So what makes the difference, comes the philosophical question?

He wasn't arrested for his book. He signed a copy of his book and mailed it and that was what he was arrested for.

 

[jmpet]

The book "Hitman" was dealt swift blows by civil courts and made illegal and unprintable. It outlines exactly how to become a hitman (and is on the Internet to download).

There is a limit to what you can write- pedophilia is definetly a fringe topic.

 

[Fall Caesar]

Is there really a difference in the morality regarding writing a "How to pick flowers" versus "How to become a hit-man"?

I mean, is it moral to tell another person "how to" do anything? I'd argue that the answer is clearly yes.

 

[Syzygys]

He wasn't arrested for his book. He signed a copy of his book and mailed it and that was what he was arrested for.

I think there is more to it. In certain states, nothing could be done against him. When he mailed it to another state where there was a statue against these kind of act, they acted against him. Or something like that....

 

[Fall Caesar]

Don't you hate when government throws you in jail for writing a book? :shrug:

I feel this quote is necessary: "People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use." - Kierkegaard