Everything he said indicated he attacked the south because he wanted destabilize the slave holding states. That makes him militant, not insane.
That he thought he could achieve that goal with the resources available makes him insane, though. Or just incredibly foolish. I don't know.
I would say no. You can make a good argument he was a terrorist, or proto terrorist, but that isn't insanity.
If Osama had flown a plane into one of the buildings you're statement would have some merit but he didn't. He sat at home and let some crazy Saudis' do the deed.I don't think he was any more insane than Osama bin Laden, unless we are defining insane as meaning having fundamentally different values from ours. He knew exactly what he was doing and he believed he was doing the work of God. What makes this uncomfortable is that we all sympathize with his goal of ending slavery.
Brown did his killing but Osama had others do it for him. To me that is a major difference.BillO -- By your definition, there are alot of crazy people who've given their lives for a cause over the years, and we revere many of them as heroes. Anyway, what I was looking at for comparison was his cold-blooded willingness to kill, and I think the two are quite alike in that respect. Plus they both had long beards.
I don't think he was any more insane than Osama bin Laden, unless we are defining insane as meaning having fundamentally different values from ours. He knew exactly what he was doing and he believed he was doing the work of God. What makes this uncomfortable is that we all sympathize with his goal of ending slavery.
I don't think he was any more insane than Osama bin Laden, unless we are defining insane as meaning having fundamentally different values from ours. He knew exactly what he was doing and he believed he was doing the work of God. What makes this uncomfortable is that we all sympathize with his goal of ending slavery.
Well put Paul. He just felt that if he killed anyone or they were killed in consequence of his action they deserved it as his cause was somehow ordained by God and therefore just. Over the decades and millennia millions of individuals did unimaginable things in the "name of God".I don't think he was any more insane than Osama bin Laden, unless we are defining insane as meaning having fundamentally different values from ours. He knew exactly what he was doing and he believed he was doing the work of God. What makes this uncomfortable is that we all sympathize with his goal of ending slavery.
Was John Brown Insane?