maggie2

But your position against the Spike-hater is exactly what I think. And I wouldn't even characterize it as inherent 'selfishness' with the selfishness understood as pejorative. It would be inhuman to try to treat your kid as being interchangeable with random other kids if you were in the middle of an emergency. We are finite beings. There's a finite amount we can do. Giving special care to the people in our circle of concern is proper. The issue of pejorative type selfishness arises when that special concern becomes excessive. But it requires wisdom to discern the difference between proper special concern for others and improprer special concern. Which might be why so many people fall back on the simple rule that we should treat all others equally. It gives solid answers. They're just impractible at best and inhuman at worst.

This is far better articulated than what I said above. I may swipe it and post in my lj, with credit to you of course. Very well said.

If you didn't already think Spike is evil, there's NOTHING in his act of letting himself be tortured nearly to death to prevent a child from coming to harm that would persuade you that he was. It's absurd.

Also very well said. I need to read stormwreath's response. His take on Spike reminds me a little of Sophist's back in the day.