Hi,In the headlines at the moment are articles covering the use of DNA testing to identify anti-social behaviour.
This seems like a good thing until lawyers start to use genetic flags like this to show that their clients are acting under the influence.
What piques my interest is that the people using this defence are effectively stating that they have no free will.
In a world where people can blame their mental and physical state for their own mis behaviour we now can add another item to this list - Genetic Destiny
Now I am not saying that these are bad, or invalid, defences. What I am saying is that free will, and the ability to make our own decisions, is one of the corner-stones of my personal philosophy.
To me free will and fate are the same thing.
Went there - or - Put there.
Without another frame of reference you cannot tell the difference between the two. Can they now, and is that a good thing?
I think not.
NP out
6 comments:
Is this a post to provoke outrage in The Determinist?
No - but I like your thinking...
Of course, if DNA does make you more antisocial, then a lawyer should be able to argue that it's in our DNA to convict and punish too. No harm done.
It's like having a dangerous and endangered animal around - even if they have killed someone (according to their nature), it makes no sense to kill them, but you would make them less dangerous by putting them somewhere away from people or in a zoo.
Also, free will and fate can't be the same thing. I don't count "fate" as being the same as determinism either, since determinism is the cold, hard fact of it all, and fate is some romantic notion surrounding the idea.
I think people's wills exist inside of a deterministic universe, but aren't free. So, the mechanisms of neurons firing etc... still happens, so you ARE making your decisions. However, on a higher level, it's all just pre-determined to happen that way.
It's not a big deal either, since you can't tell the difference.
Sounds like you've got religion.
I'm thinking of the Krishna aspect called Jagannath - the universal machine / master.
Funnily enough I worked with a software engineer from India called Jagannath once. He was absolutely rubbish.
NP
Religion or lack or religion? Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. :)
I don't get Jagannath at all - even after reading it on Wikipedia.
Thats because you might need to look up the reference in religious texts.
Wikipedia isn't the font of all knowledge.
NP
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