Here is a tough question. If you could go back in time and have the opportunity to eliminate in the cradle an infant who you know will in the future cause death and destruction to millions of human beings, what would you do? From a humane point of you, you would most probably believe that doing such an action will benefit mankind and avoid a huge amount of pain and suffering. Therefore, from this perspective, your action would be justified and might even be praised. From a moral perspective, on the other hand, the difference between right and wrong behaviors should be carefully weighed. Is anyone entitled to take somebody else's life? You might believe that, in drastic circumstances, drastic measures are required, if the opportunity arises. But, if the past happened in such a way that its consequences cannot be changed (as it most probably is the case), there is another possibility. Had you decided to carry out your deadly plan (or whatever other plan to change the past, in any other possible scenario) it is highly possible that your doing might allow exactly what you were intending to avoid. Maybe the infant you did away with was replaced by a successively adopted one who grew up to be the ruthless dictator. Who knows? What does your reason suggest to you? And your conscience?
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