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FerrousFaucet
Since: Feb, 2014
Doujinguy567
Since: Mar, 2021
WarJay77
(Troper Knight)
2025-03-31 08:52:28
There's some values dissonance here. Slavery might be an objective bad to us, but a feudal lord? Probably had different perspectives on it, especially if it's restricted to bad people.
So yeah I'd argue that this isn't some objective evil committed by the lord, but a pragmatic, somewhat reasonable for the setting, choice.
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An objectively evil system is maintained, with the justification that it can be used on the deserving no matter how many undeserving it affects.
For instance, a medieval lord who encourages literacy, education, medicine, art and culture, etc. among the commoners of his lands. He also maintains the slave trade so he can use it to punish the worst offenders (murderers, traitors, rapists etc.).