Are you responsible for what you do?
1. The original equation was that you were free to choose what you did, and that you were responsible for your choices.
2. Next came the belief that perhaps we are not as free at it seems. Genetic alterations can make a person more aggressive (or more passive). What about how we were raised? What about how society treated us? What about our core "values"? In the end, how can we be responsible for what we do, since we all are the product of our DNA and environment? And what about a new medical disorder that describes your choice as an illness? Who can find a victim of an illness to be wrong or evil?
3. But, once you accept 2 as true, then you change the equation. A person, in deciding what to do in any situation, will know that no matter what choice, there will be no individual responsibility. The proponents of the safety net of dna, disease and demographics will save them from being wrong or evil. And this knowledge changes the decision itself, making the decision not so much a reflection of the internal struggle between good and evil as much as the softer choice between internal desires and how big a pass will he get on external responsibility. The knowledge of no responsibility changes the internal value of the choices, making choices actually more personal and less reflexive. As we come to grips with this loop of logic, I believe there will be a return to personal responsibility. This will create an environment where poor choices in terms of right, good and ethics will come home to roost.
Indeed, this morning, I heard four comedians on a talk show. A man made a joke. An African-American said, "Listen white boy..." Before she could say another word, another comedian on the show interrupted "Listen, why didn't you just say 'Cracker'?". The pass in putting someone down on the basis of race is becoming less acceptable, regardless of your place in society. In DocBrain's opinion, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
2. Next came the belief that perhaps we are not as free at it seems. Genetic alterations can make a person more aggressive (or more passive). What about how we were raised? What about how society treated us? What about our core "values"? In the end, how can we be responsible for what we do, since we all are the product of our DNA and environment? And what about a new medical disorder that describes your choice as an illness? Who can find a victim of an illness to be wrong or evil?
3. But, once you accept 2 as true, then you change the equation. A person, in deciding what to do in any situation, will know that no matter what choice, there will be no individual responsibility. The proponents of the safety net of dna, disease and demographics will save them from being wrong or evil. And this knowledge changes the decision itself, making the decision not so much a reflection of the internal struggle between good and evil as much as the softer choice between internal desires and how big a pass will he get on external responsibility. The knowledge of no responsibility changes the internal value of the choices, making choices actually more personal and less reflexive. As we come to grips with this loop of logic, I believe there will be a return to personal responsibility. This will create an environment where poor choices in terms of right, good and ethics will come home to roost.
Indeed, this morning, I heard four comedians on a talk show. A man made a joke. An African-American said, "Listen white boy..." Before she could say another word, another comedian on the show interrupted "Listen, why didn't you just say 'Cracker'?". The pass in putting someone down on the basis of race is becoming less acceptable, regardless of your place in society. In DocBrain's opinion, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
posted by DocBrain at
4:23 AM
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