Nobody "deserves" anything. There are either good consequential reasons to punish people or there aren't. Desert is irrelevant. Everyone was born with a set of traits and preferences which ultimately dictate 100% of their behavior and is merely (un)lucky to be who they are.
-
-
Replying to @Intrinsic29
So you'd be OK to punish an innocent person if it results in better consequences?
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @sjggraham
Technically yes, but that's a big "if." The consequences of living in a society that punishes innocent people are vast.
1 reply 0 retweets 5 likes -
Replying to @Intrinsic29
But still, if the police reckon they can kill an innocent black guy to, say, prevent a riot, and get away with it by framing the guy to look guilty...that's in principle morally acceptable, even obligatory in some circumstances?
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @sjggraham
There are vastly negative consequences to living in a society where cops or any other people do this. It's a society in which I wouldn't want to live. My consequentialism entails these consequences too.
1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes -
Replying to @Intrinsic29
But isn't the problem that they don't cover it up well enough, not that they might target and frame innocent people?
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @sjggraham
No, I think the problem is that the consequences of such an action extend beyond the ones you seem to be measuring.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @Intrinsic29
Possibly, but that's probably because I find consequentialism a hopelessly impossible ethic.
2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @sjggraham @Intrinsic29
That might be a developmental issue. The individual transition from virtue ethics to consequentialism usually means that for that individual, values have been deconstructed as social programming, and there is no going back.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @Plinz @sjggraham
Ftr, I was never a fan of virtue ethics and I don't think values are merely social programming. I think they're a mix of innate biology and environment.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
I suspect the interesting part of values are what is not biology. If I have an intrinsic dislike for violence because it is emotionally exhausting despite paying off, values are what is going to offset that one way or the other, if the individual is susceptible to the programming
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.