Self-defense is a right so fundamental that the scholarly literature regularly refers to it asthe ancient rightorthe first civil right. But despite the right’s bedrock status in criminal law, legislators, academics, and every-day citizens alike all have strongly held—and, in fact, often strongly divergent—opinions about when it is legally (and morally) appropriate to exercise self-preferential force. Some favor “tough-on-crime” approaches, according broader leeway to those defending themselves against attacks. Others advocate for a more “humanitarian” construction of the law, providing greater protections even to culpable attackers who threaten their victims with serious injury.

中文翻译：

---

了解自卫法中扮演（和应该扮演）的角色价值

自卫权是一项如此重要的权利，以至于学术文献经常将其称为古代权利或第一公民权利。但是，尽管该权利在刑法中处于基石地位，但立法者、学者和普通公民都对何时在法律上（和道德上）适当地行使自我偏好持有强烈的——事实上，往往是强烈的分歧——意见力量。有些人赞成“严厉打击犯罪”的方法，因为他们有更广泛的回旋余地来保护自己免受攻击。其他人则主张对法律进行更加“人道主义”的建设，甚至对威胁受害者重伤的有罪的攻击者也提供更大的保护。