[ExI] Implications of Sociopath Testing

[Lee Corbin]

Stathis writes

> Stefano wrote:
> 
>> Stathis wrote:
>>
>>> But we can imagine a quasi-sociopath who was rational and
>>> calculating, preferring to use legal methods to get his way, and
>>> only breaking the law when certain he could get away with it.
>>
>> Why, if you deal with the economic analysis of law, say Posner, this
>> is what humanity is supposed to be composed of, at least for the sake
>> of legislative, contractual and judiciary strategies... :-)

I think that business would be more prosperous if business
people had more integrity. I've interviewed a number of
my bosses, and compelled them to give me a number. 
They say that about 2/3 of the other business people they
have to deal with cannot be trusted.

Moreover, even a sociopath who is pure [ly selfish] at heart, 
and [pretends to] says his prayers by night,
can become a lawbreaker, cheater, and liar
when no one's looking, and the August moon is bright.

So *some* criminal behavior is prevented solely by certain
people's consciences. If you have one, then you know what
I'm talking about. It can haunt you, and punish you excessively
sometimes even for minor misdeeds.

> [Should] someone who could be demonstrated to be sociopathic despite an
> ability to hide it should be treated differently by the law than his
> non-sociopathic counterpart[?].  But if he were really good at hiding his
> sociopathy he would not be any more likely to commit a crime than
> anyone else.

Isn't this quite false?  For, unlike the people who have real
consciences, the sociopath will break the law, or lie and
cheat with abandon when there is no fear of being caught.

> This is like a variation on the philosophical zombie
> argument: what if someone *honestly believed* that everyone else was a
> zombie (or equivalently, that no-one else's feelings mattered even if
> they did have feelings) but was committed to behave as if they weren't
> because it would make life easier for him?

It would only make life easier (for such a person to
thus pretend) up to a certain point. Again, when no
one was looking, in effect, his behavior would be
different. I, for one, would cease to leave tips in
restaurants I know I will never visit again and I would
never give anyone an even break in traffic---why should
I?  No one is really there to benefit from my "charitable"
moves.

Lee