Originally posted by: ricarleite
So, back to the example you gave, of that 9-11 flight. Could it be justifiable, under those circustances? Maybe. Hard to think of what Gandhi or Jesus would do in such situation. Probably try to negociate or reason. Could they be successful? Maybe, maybe not. Was violence successful on that case? Partially, but they were not able to save their own lifes.

Maybe I'm playing the numbers game here, but by sacrificing their lives, the passengers on that flight potentially saved many more lives. Their action was an overwhelming success. Faced with that situation, I think Ghandi or Jesus would have done exactly the same. They believed in non-violence, yes, but they wouldn't just roll over and die. The passengers on that flight likely would have died either way. I'd rather have them take action and die as heroes knowing they might have saved hundreds more, than have them try to negotiate with terrorists who were already dead-set on taking that plane who knows where.

This wasn't a situation of violence. It was a situation of heroic sacrifice.