Respect for the Dead
I have no respect
for the dead because dead people are not really
people. They were people.
The word "respect" means to have high esteem or
regard. I cannot have high esteem or regard for
something that is barely distinguishable from a
rotting chimpanzee carcass. Biologically,
there is not much difference. What separates
humans from animals is their minds, and when a person
dies their mind is gone and only the physical
non-working tissues are left. What exactly
is there left to respect?
The purpose of any good law is to prevent
unjust suffering. Therefore, laws that
protect the dead are irrational because the dead are
incapable of suffering. However, this does
not mean it should be legal to openly piss on a grave
in a cemetery. Why? Because living people
will be emotionally hurt by such behavior.
Respect for the dead is really done out of respect for
the living. Living people do not want to see
their loved one's bodies or graves treated in a
degrading manner, so to ensure these living relatives
are not emotionally hurt, laws against corpse and
grave desecration are passed.
So I agree with respecting the dead as long as this is
done to avoid hurting living friends and relatives.
But respecting the dead for their own sake seems
irrational and pointless to me.