tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16355954.post2049382260213796894..comments2024-03-28T08:57:53.180+00:00Comments on Darwinian Conservatism by Larry Arnhart: The Problem of Free Will and John WestLarry Arnharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14619785331100785170noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16355954.post-59579959639056325002007-10-16T21:34:00.000+01:002007-10-16T21:34:00.000+01:00A system of comfortable (yet indefinite) detention...A system of comfortable (yet indefinite) detention and positive rehabilitation was proposed on precisely these grounds by Charles Peirce ("Dmesis"). He asserted that the only reason for punishing criminals is because we hate them. <BR/><BR/>Larry, the document you link to is intriguing, although I wondered about its direct source. One of the typographical errors in it is an OCR error, one is a cognitive error, and one is a transposition that reflects a subtle sarcasm. I think a scan of the original would have been preferable. <BR/><BR/>The "wedge strategy" itself is an interesting, but misguided, concept. If it is depicted accurately, its shallowness doesn't bode well for ID.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10611514851360074283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16355954.post-2557525984599621292007-10-13T02:19:00.000+01:002007-10-13T02:19:00.000+01:00Thanks for pointing out the absurdity of West's ap...Thanks for pointing out the absurdity of West's appeal to contra-causal free will. But I wonder whether it's possible to justify retribution, given your compatibilist conception of moral responsibility. Do people *deserve* punishment if they've been fully caused to be who they are, and act as they do? This isn't to say there isn't a role for sanctions as deterrents, and non-punitive detention for public safety, but the idea that people categorically *deserve* to suffer for their misdeeds seems hard to sustain in the face of determinism. If so, this suggests there should be revisions to our criminal justice system in light of naturalism, namely to drop our retributive practices and policies.Tom Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08414754510736349472noreply@blogger.com