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Oct. 28th, 2008 10:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ed_fortune
1. Do you believe that the government should chemically castrate sex offenders?
Only as a last resort. And I mean that in a much wider sense than individual offenders. I would only advocate chemical castration in a situation where it has been proven reliably prevent future sex crimes AND rehabilitation has reliably demonstrated to be unsuccessful. As our knowledge of what may constitute a successful rehabilitation scheme is only in the earliest stages of development I think its way to early to be considering this particular option.
2. Would the world be better off without religion, and why?
No. I am deeply unconvinced that most problems attributed to Religion are truely blamable on religion. You only have to look at those scientists getting whipped up into Dawkin-frenzies to see the bad things we associate with religion are not actually religious, but simply dick-ish behavior that is found everywhere.
3. Do you believe it is ethical to abort a foetus with Down's syndrome?
No. But aborting a child you will not be capable of providing for might be. I am deeply uncertain about what constitutes the 'best' course of action when it comes to abortion. In a better society I might push for compulsory adoption over abortion, but not in this one.
4. You are given the opportunity to kill someone who is proven beyond doubt to be a rapist. There will be no consequences, lawful or otherwise, and you will be able to kill this person in a way that does not endanger you. Would you do it?
No. Well, unless by 'no consequences' you're also including emotional repercussions for myself. But at that point I'm a psychopath, and the 'kill' and 'rapist' part are probably not that related to each other any more...
5. Same as question four, with the exception that your victim is a proven murderer.
The reason I don't kill is entirely personal. I would feel horrible. I'd have nightmares. Going to jail is also not exactly a plus point, but pales in comparison to what my personal reaction would likely be. I feel guilty for treading on snails. I have carried wasps outside rather than have someone raid them. I have had screaming fits at people for swatting flies. I /really/ don't like killing things.
6. Is stealing ever justified?
Depending on your particular moral code and how you categories things, probably.
7. A Catholic missionary is travelling through Africa telling people that using condoms encourage the can transmission of HIV. You have the opportunity to assassinate him without detection. Would you do it?
No. I might start slipping condoms in their food though.
8. Would you betray a close friend or a member of your family to save the lives of a hundred strangers?
I really struggle to see how this situation comes about. Hasoxfordgirl staged a coup? I doubt I would, simply because I trust my friends. A member of my family, them I would shop without a second thought (excluding of course, the ones i consider friends).
9. Would you allow someone with the HIV virus to look after your children, if you had any?
Depends on the circumstances, would I trust them to look after my kids if they didn't have HIV? I admit that with two people to choose between and no other factor of differentiation, then the HIV positive person probably loses, but I have more important criteria to be judging on than the sort of freak accidents needed to achieve infection in a care-taking capacity with a competent carer.
10. What about someone with visible herpes?
Still depends on the circumstances, but the infection route for herpes is much wider than for HIV, so I'd probably be less likely to allow someone with herpes care for my children.
11. Would you lie about your religious beliefs (or lack thereof) to escape torture or incarceration?
Yes. Torture and incarceration are things I really don't want happeneing to me, and my religeous beliefs say nothing about lying being a bad thing.
12. Do you believe that simulated violent pornography, where no real harm is done to the actors, (i.e cartoons, CGI, very good acting) should be made illegal?
I don't currently have an opinion on this, but I can describe the factors that would influence it. Does this kind of pornographic material influence those with borderline disorders in this direction. If someone who might otherwise /commit/ a violent sex crime is able to withhold themselves using simulations, then I am all for its legality. Conversely, if the material primes a person who otherwise might not have carried out a crime into doing one, then its illegality would be a good thing. Obviously the number of people who might be influenced by the material in this way is small, and currently the evidence is somewhat unclear, but this would be the basis of my decision.
13. Same as above, but with simulated child pornography.
See above. If simulated child pornography helped prevent actual pedophilic behaviors then great. Unfortunately I suspect it probably slightly increases the chances of a later assault. But without better evidence I don't have an opinion.
14. Is there anything worth sacrificing your own life for? If so, what?
I can think of a fair few things worth risking my own life for (the lives of other people I care about being the obvious one). I struggle to think of scenarios where a genuine sacrifice would be in any way useful, although there presumably are some.
15. What about your freedom?
My freedom? No. Risking my life for my freedom yes, but if I'm dead then I am no more free than if I living in restriction. The freedom of others possibly.
ed_fortune1. Do you believe that the government should chemically castrate sex offenders?
Only as a last resort. And I mean that in a much wider sense than individual offenders. I would only advocate chemical castration in a situation where it has been proven reliably prevent future sex crimes AND rehabilitation has reliably demonstrated to be unsuccessful. As our knowledge of what may constitute a successful rehabilitation scheme is only in the earliest stages of development I think its way to early to be considering this particular option.
2. Would the world be better off without religion, and why?
No. I am deeply unconvinced that most problems attributed to Religion are truely blamable on religion. You only have to look at those scientists getting whipped up into Dawkin-frenzies to see the bad things we associate with religion are not actually religious, but simply dick-ish behavior that is found everywhere.
3. Do you believe it is ethical to abort a foetus with Down's syndrome?
No. But aborting a child you will not be capable of providing for might be. I am deeply uncertain about what constitutes the 'best' course of action when it comes to abortion. In a better society I might push for compulsory adoption over abortion, but not in this one.
4. You are given the opportunity to kill someone who is proven beyond doubt to be a rapist. There will be no consequences, lawful or otherwise, and you will be able to kill this person in a way that does not endanger you. Would you do it?
No. Well, unless by 'no consequences' you're also including emotional repercussions for myself. But at that point I'm a psychopath, and the 'kill' and 'rapist' part are probably not that related to each other any more...
5. Same as question four, with the exception that your victim is a proven murderer.
The reason I don't kill is entirely personal. I would feel horrible. I'd have nightmares. Going to jail is also not exactly a plus point, but pales in comparison to what my personal reaction would likely be. I feel guilty for treading on snails. I have carried wasps outside rather than have someone raid them. I have had screaming fits at people for swatting flies. I /really/ don't like killing things.
6. Is stealing ever justified?
Depending on your particular moral code and how you categories things, probably.
7. A Catholic missionary is travel
No. I might start slipping condoms in their food though.
8. Would you betray a close friend or a member of your family to save the lives of a hundred strangers?
I really struggle to see how this situation comes about. Has
oxfordgirl staged a coup? I doubt I would, simply because I trust my friends. A member of my family, them I would shop without a second thought (excluding of course, the ones i consider friends).9. Would you allow someone with the HIV virus to look after your children, if you had any?
Depends on the circumstances, would I trust them to look after my kids if they didn't have HIV? I admit that with two people to choose between and no other factor of differentiation, then the HIV positive person probably loses, but I have more important criteria to be judging on than the sort of freak accidents needed to achieve infection in a care-taking capacity with a competent carer.
10. What about someone with visible herpes?
Still depends on the circumstances, but the infection route for herpes is much wider than for HIV, so I'd probably be less likely to allow someone with herpes care for my children.
11. Would you lie about your religious beliefs (or lack thereof) to escape torture or incarceration?
Yes. Torture and incarceration are things I really don't want happeneing to me, and my religeous beliefs say nothing about lying being a bad thing.
12. Do you believe that simulated violent pornography, where no real harm is done to the actors, (i.e cartoons, CGI, very good acting) should be made illegal?
I don't currently have an opinion on this, but I can describe the factors that would influence it. Does this kind of pornographic material influence those with borderline disorders in this direction. If someone who might otherwise /commit/ a violent sex crime is able to withhold themselves using simulations, then I am all for its legality. Conversely, if the material primes a person who otherwise might not have carried out a crime into doing one, then its illegality would be a good thing. Obviously the number of people who might be influenced by the material in this way is small, and currently the evidence is somewhat unclear, but this would be the basis of my decision.
13. Same as above, but with simulated child pornography.
See above. If simulated child pornography helped prevent actual pedophilic behaviors then great. Unfortunately I suspect it probably slightly increases the chances of a later assault. But without better evidence I don't have an opinion.
14. Is there anything worth sacrificing your own life for? If so, what?
I can think of a fair few things worth risking my own life for (the lives of other people I care about being the obvious one). I struggle to think of scenarios where a genuine sacrifice would be in any way useful, although there presumably are some.
15. What about your freedom?
My freedom? No. Risking my life for my freedom yes, but if I'm dead then I am no more free than if I living in restriction. The freedom of others possibly.
