The post that was quoted here has been removedIt appears to me that whatever vile thing that was going to be done to the man was so unusual and horrible at that time and in that culture that the substitute was deemed better. This is not saying the substitute activity is good, but it was preferable to the alternative.
I think it may be like some of us see the killing of an unborn baby as worst than a certain homosexual act today. Others may have the opposite opinion. It probably depends on what one is accustomed to.
The post that was quoted here has been removedDeterminism is mechanistic to the hilt, and due to the fact that it is unfalsifiable we cannot assume that behaviour is determined. Since we have to cope with a mental illness in the context you provided, it is a result of the patient not being able to rape not and therefore, according to the humanistic approach, illness is due to freewill and personal decisions.
However, there was still a potential for free will: If, according to determinism, everything has a definite cause, then can we assume that the free will is random? Methinks we cannot. Then, if determinism does have an effect on the world but not on humans, there are many implications that are unanswered; but if we have to expect moral responsibility, we have to accept the concept of free will: If one’s behaviour is determined by forces beyond one’s free will, then one cannot be held responsible for one’s actions. And the problem over here is that, according to our laws, an adult indeed has individual responsibility for one’s actions and so implicitly society supports free will. It follows that the boy in our case would be either severely punished or separated for good from the society
Originally posted by black beetleTemporally causal determinism (everything is a physical effect of a physical cause; equivalently, every state of the universe is the result of the preceding state of the universe) is mechanistic, but block universe determinism sees the universe as spread out in in 4D (counting time). Under it, each space-time state of affairs is fixed and immutable, but is not caused by any other space-time state of affairs.
Determinism is mechanistic to the hilt, and due to the fact that it is unfalsifiable we cannot assume that behaviour is determined. Since we have to cope with a mental illness in the context you provided, it is a result of the patient not being able to rape not and therefore, according to the humanistic approach, illness is due to freewill and personal ...[text shortened]... hat the boy in our case would be either severely punished or separated for good from the society
I think people give little attention to block universe determinism because -- what is there to say about it? But it does dispense with concerns about mechanism.
Originally posted by JS357If indeterminism is admitted but doesn’t produce random actions, and if determinism is limited but not eliminated, a random thought can lead to a determined action for which we can take responsibility in full. In the context of the so called free will, “free” is merely the chance and randomness of the mind, whilst “will” is the adequately determined choice of the mind. Due to the fact that these two occur in a temporal sequence, they cannot be traced in a block 4D universe.
Temporally causal determinism (everything is a physical effect of a physical cause; equivalently, every state of the universe is the result of the preceding state of the universe) is mechanistic, but block universe determinism sees the universe as spread out in in 4D (counting time). Under it, each space-time state of affairs is fixed and immutable, but is n ...[text shortened]... sm because -- what is there to say about it? But it does dispense with concerns about mechanism.
And (back to our universe) methinks the boy in our case is indeed “free”, however the chance and randomness of his mind cannot be separated from his inability to cope positively with a specific moral code that is socially implied, and thus, due to his mental condition the boy was unable to decide to rape not. In addition, the “will” of the boy is still the adequately determined choice of his mind, but still, due to his mental condition, the boy cannot be held morally responsible for his action
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Originally posted by black beetleNonetheless, we influence the causal train -- by switching the post-incident causal track to the moral responsibility line, even though it is not justified for that incident -- adding awareness of social disapproval and anticipation of punishment as negative motivations in the deliberations of other minds.
If indeterminism is admitted but doesn’t produce random actions, and if determinism is limited but not eliminated, a random thought can lead to a determined action for which we can take responsibility in full. In the context of the so called free will, “free” is merely the chance and randomness of the mind, whilst “will” is the adequately determined cho ...[text shortened]... till, due to his mental condition, the boy cannot be held morally responsible for his action
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A simple example is putting stop signs at a new intersection after a series of accidents (unpunished due to the absence of a stop sign) shows it to be needed. It adds motivation in a socially desired direction to the deliberative choice process. Determinism does not disqualify the imposition of rules.
For the mentally limited boy, safeguards in driver licensing would be appropriate.
Originally posted by JS357Yes;
Nonetheless, we influence the causal train -- by switching the post-incident causal track to the moral responsibility line, even though it is not justified for that incident -- adding awareness of social disapproval and anticipation of punishment as negative motivations in the deliberations of other minds.
A simple example is putting stop signs at a new int ...[text shortened]... of rules.
For the mentally limited boy, safeguards in driver licensing would be appropriate.
As regards that boy, methinks safeguards in any of his actions within the whole social spectrum are indeed appropriate😵