[ExI] META: Re: free-will, determinism, crime and punishment

[Eugen Leitl]

On Wed, Aug 22, 2007 at 03:52:17PM -0400, gts wrote:

> Crime and punishment is about law and order. Last time I checked, "order"  
> had something to do with "extropy".

Yes, everything has to do with something else, somehow. But that's not good enough.

It is interesting what we collectively choose to discuss, and what we 
choose not to discuss. Why did we choose to focus on that particular thread,
and keep milling on and on and on?  
 
> How do we secure and defend an extropic civilization? Is the retributive  

How do we start having an extropic civilization, in the first place?

> theory of justice a concept that should have traction in an enlightened

Somebody fetch me an enlightened society, quick.
  
> society? Should criminals be treated as defective entities in need of  
> repair (rehabilitation), or should they be treated as entities deserving  
> pain or even termination for having done wrong? These are the sorts of  
> questions under consideration here.

Both the high incarceration rate and use of capital punishment are local to
the US. The rest of the world doesn't consider these particular global
problems.