[ExI] free-will, determinism, crime and punishment.

[Jeff Davis]

On 8/18/07, John K Clark <jonkc at att.net> wrote:
> "Jeff Davis" <jrd1415 at gmail.com>
>
> > don't you think that if some sociopathic (but not organically defective)
> > "offender"
>
> Why is that in quotation marks?

Because there were other possible choices -- perp, dirtbag, lowlife,
criminal -- and I sought something minimally judgemental/prejudicial.

> > was placed under your tutelage, and you were given wide lattitude
> > regarding what measures you could employ, that you couldn't straighten
> > him/her out?
>
> No, I don't think I know how to straighten out criminals.

Fair enough.

> People have had that delusion

I think "delusion" is too strong.  I think "hope" or perhaps "foolish
notion" (which also conveys the sense of the non-reality conveyed by
"delusion") would be more judicious, if not more accurate.

> for centuries but the results have varied from mediocre to dreadful.

Mediocre?  Hmmmmm.  Well it's a place to start, though I'm inclined to
think it's a little better than that.  I'm thinking there is likely a
technique more forgiving and nurturing than the dungeons favored by
statist-authoritarians ("When we have tortur... I mean reeducated you
sufficiently, you will come to love Big Brother.")

> It is more likely that the criminal under my tutelage ends up
> murdering me than me reforming him, and I think history backs me up.

You're probably right, and that would be bad.  We would sorely miss
your prickly self here on the list.  ;-}

-- 
Best, Jeff Davis

               "Everything's hard till you
                     know how to do it."
                              Ray Charles