Re: Fly Gene

On Sat, 04 Jun 2005 20:55:22 -0700 "Jim Armstrong" <jarmstro@qwest.net>
writes:
> Right on! I actually wrote and then deleted a statement to the effect
> of
> the first sentence in your second paragraph. I deleted it because I
> too
> realized I could not make the case to everyone's satisfaction. But
> at
> the end of the day, I think you and I lean in somewhat opposite
> directions on these matters. JimA
>
Let's see. A guy has an ultrahigh level of testosterone and assaults
every women he finds alone. He is not immoral. A gal has whatever
combination of hormones it takes and is a nymphomaniac. She is not
immoral. A person of either sex has a hair trigger release of vast
quantities of adrenalin and beats up or kills anyone who disses them or
otherwise crosses them. Their actions are moral. Or do we recognize that
some people, by heredity or environmental influence, have more difficulty
than others in controlling impulses, but need to control them
nevertheless.

I don't often cite Hegel favorably, but he has an interesting point. He
somewhere said that excusing wicked behavior because the actor is insane
is mistreating the individual as a "thing" rather than a person, which is
perhaps the gravest injustice possible. In other words, everyone has to
be treated as a responsible being.
Dave
Received on Sun Jun 5 00:56:16 2005