If somebody commits a terrible crime, & it only comes to light years later, after they have developed severe dementia, that they were guilty
you cannot punish the guilty person, because that person is gone - they no longer exist.
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@PhilosophyExp What about a drunk person who commits a crime? Once sober, is he the same person that committed the crime while intoxicated? -
@jamesdsteele I once put together a thought experiment exploring precisely that conundrum: http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=6590 -
@PhilosophyExp In the Xmas scenario I would say you are not morally culpable but you ARE legally culpable. -
@jamesdsteele This comment is interesting in that respect: http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=6590#comment-113734 …
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@PhilosophyExp We are always punishing acts of past time-slice selves anyway: that the person who acted then is gone isn't enough, is it? -
@NJMunn I think that's actually a huge ethical problem with historical cases (especially). -
@PhilosophyExp for theories of punishment generally, you mean?
End of conversation
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@PhilosophyExp Wrong. You can have a Trial of Facts. The 'guilty' person can be detained indefinitely on mental health grounds. The issue...Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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@PhilosophyExp if you don't believe in 'libertarian free will' there never was a free actor there. But we punish all the same.Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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@PhilosophyExp if you can later cure dementia, is it ethical to cure them?Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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@PhilosophyExp ...is whether the crime was caused by the mental illness to begin with. But what if there is a public interest to be...Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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@PhilosophyExp ...served so that the victims' voices are heard? Is there really a 'Get out of jail free' card in such instances?Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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