What‘s the Defense for Self-Defense?

Few would argue that it is unethical to defend one's life and well-being from clear and present danger.  But, it is not so easy to articulate why exactly we share this intuition.  What is the moral underpinning for self-defense? Should we appeal to rights, and if so, can our attackers lose some of their rights, such as the right to life, by their misdeeds? Or do we justify self-defense on other grounds.  We use the recent Kyle Rittenhouse trial as a launch point for the discussion.

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