Back when we didn't understand any psychiatric disorders, society just punished everyone who misbehaved (if they got caught).
The more and more we have come to realize that people are not in control, for instance their behavior is caused by a known disorder, the less punitive we have treated such people.
Saying behavioral determinism is just something we talk about in philosophy forums, implying it has had no impact on society (If that isn't what you meant BB, please correct me), is silly. We can look through history and clearly see that any time humans realize a behavior is determined, we change our reactions to it, usually to be MUCH less punitive. And violence has only ever dropped and dropped and dropped over time as we've made these corrections to our views of how and why people behave, and how we in turn should behave towards them.
So...I think it's a very important discussion. The more people realize how stupid punishment is, the better it will be for society a whole.
The more and more we have come to realize that people are not in control, for instance their behavior is caused by a known disorder, the less punitive we have treated such people.
Saying behavioral determinism is just something we talk about in philosophy forums, implying it has had no impact on society (If that isn't what you meant BB, please correct me), is silly. We can look through history and clearly see that any time humans realize a behavior is determined, we change our reactions to it, usually to be MUCH less punitive. And violence has only ever dropped and dropped and dropped over time as we've made these corrections to our views of how and why people behave, and how we in turn should behave towards them.
So...I think it's a very important discussion. The more people realize how stupid punishment is, the better it will be for society a whole.
“Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where's it going to end?”
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
