There are several offshoots of this question that I am seeing that while are not the “point” of the hypothetical, they are interesting nonetheless
people who are ‘cured’ are forcefully changed without their consent or input.
If there is a potion that takes away a human’s ability to choose those kind of actions, are you “erasing” an aspect of a human’s free will, and if so, is that morally “right”?
This is actually the first part I’d like to touch upon. It’s not the point of the hypothetical, but it IS interesting nonetheless.
I’ve seen it argued that this does not “remove” the human’s free will, it simply “changes” their free will. They are “capable” of committing violence. On paper. It’s still something they “could” choose. But their personality is altered to the point where they simply… Wouldn’t. It’s not something they would willingly choose.
And, to me, I do not think this is a good enough distinction. I think there is a distinction between a person who has destructive impulses, but chooses to do the right thing instead, and a person who has has been magically altered to NEVER feel those impulses.
It is the most dystopian thing about the hypothetical and reminds me of electro therapy or lobotomy. Even though the potion doesn’t “hurt” him, and actually works unlike those methods, I still think this is a violation of your own free will and by itself would be MORE than enough punishment for the man.
In fact I pity him. That sort of thing should never be done against one’s will. And especially should not be forced upon everyone. Hell we don’t even force everyone get vaccinated.
I think it being a CHOICE that people have is absolutely valid. Hell, even a choice that people are heavily encouraged to undertake is still valid. But being able to refuse is even more important to me than removing violence from society.
imo if you break into my house and beat me and my family within inches of our lives
I will tie you up in a chair and make you reenact Saw traps. I do not care that he has already rehabilitated. He committed a crime and must be punished.
This, here, actually answers the question at face value and was absolutely the answer I was waiting for.
For me, personally, my answer is different depending on the people involved. if it was just me he hurt. Fine. Go on, I don’t care, their life has no affect on me anymore. But if someone laid hands on my wife, or my friends, in any way, even if I could be sure that they would never perform a violent action as long as they lived (for better or worse)… If I am being honest with myself, we’re talking truth of truth… I’d still probably want revenge. Even if that’s not what I tell the detective.
“My wife is on crutches and in horrible miserable pain. And here I am doing nothing about the man who did this to her.” would be my initial thought process.
I’m not proud of that impulse at all. And, to me, is a reaction based only on anger and hatred which is destructive, not productive, irrational and helps nobody and the kind of impulse that I would want to control.
If protecting and caring for my loved ones IS my goal (which it is) I’d want to make sure that never happens again (it won’t) and make sure they get the care they need to recover. Including any trauma that she might experience from the event. Like, I’d want to make sure that she NEVER has to face this man in person ever again. I don’t want her to have to re-live that trauma. But even with prison that’s not going to keep him forever. He didn’t murder anyone there’s a good chance he gets 20 years but goes free when he’s 50 or whatever. If she’s okay with it, I think I’d be okay with a permanent restraining order against him with no prison time needed.
But… I can totally understand if she says “even with the potion, I do not feel safe knowing he is out there. I won’t ever feel safe unless he’s behind bars”.
