Spiderman
Veteran Member
There certainly is choice involved, and a person chronically desiring to commit violence against others is (sometimes) Capable of chronically restraining the impulse...but they are not at fault for having the impulse and some people are not at fault for have a will that is so weak they fail to restrain the impulse.
...saying we are ENTIRELY responsible for our actions is sometimes like saying we are responsible for our phobias, psychological makeup, or sexual orientation (though we have a responsibility to use it in a way that doesn't harm us or others)...a person doesn't choose to be homosexual, heterosexual, pedophile, sadist, pervert, or whatever fetish they have.....they either are inclined a certain way and they can give in to the impulse or suppress it.
There are people who were very responsible that become traumatized, get too much lead in their blood, get addicted to something, severely abused, have blood sugar problems, neurotransmitter deregulation, PMS, malnourishment, or head injury, and they can go from being positive, warm, patient, loving, and kind, to cold, bitter, hateful, selfish, suicidal, aggressive, bigoted violent, etc.
In the end, much of that isn't their fault...I have known women PMSing who are extremely sweet when it isn't shark week. They literally become cold, irritable, cranky, negative, and even hateful, and there is nothing they can do to choose to feel any differently or make the bitterness and anger go away. It absolutely affects their behavior and decisions and it isn't their fault.
So, no, I don't think in the end people are entirely responsible. They are inclined to be honest and compassionate or be selfish, dishonest, sadistic, hateful, perverted, or sociopathic with many factors that influence it. It is true that a person is responsible for their choices, but if their mind and emotions are deeply disturbed and they are chronically troubled and compelled with impulses to do wrong, I don't consider them responsible.
Many of them would not have the impulse to do those things if they could simply flip a switch and make it go away.
Now, if someone is constantly haunted with the strong impulse to assault or kill someone and eventually they act on it, there is choice involved, but that choice wouldn't have taken place if they had not been chronically inclined and compelled to do so, therefore it isn't completely their fault. Unless, they were entirely responsible for being inclined that way.
If you don't feel inclined to rape, torture, and murder innocent people, it wasn't because you chose not to be that way. It's simply you have the gift of compassion and empathy and your brain isn't wired to do that.
Do you agree? Although I like the statement "We are responsible for our behavior"...I'm not so sure it is entirely that black and white...it definitely isn't a true statement for some people.
...saying we are ENTIRELY responsible for our actions is sometimes like saying we are responsible for our phobias, psychological makeup, or sexual orientation (though we have a responsibility to use it in a way that doesn't harm us or others)...a person doesn't choose to be homosexual, heterosexual, pedophile, sadist, pervert, or whatever fetish they have.....they either are inclined a certain way and they can give in to the impulse or suppress it.
There are people who were very responsible that become traumatized, get too much lead in their blood, get addicted to something, severely abused, have blood sugar problems, neurotransmitter deregulation, PMS, malnourishment, or head injury, and they can go from being positive, warm, patient, loving, and kind, to cold, bitter, hateful, selfish, suicidal, aggressive, bigoted violent, etc.
In the end, much of that isn't their fault...I have known women PMSing who are extremely sweet when it isn't shark week. They literally become cold, irritable, cranky, negative, and even hateful, and there is nothing they can do to choose to feel any differently or make the bitterness and anger go away. It absolutely affects their behavior and decisions and it isn't their fault.
So, no, I don't think in the end people are entirely responsible. They are inclined to be honest and compassionate or be selfish, dishonest, sadistic, hateful, perverted, or sociopathic with many factors that influence it. It is true that a person is responsible for their choices, but if their mind and emotions are deeply disturbed and they are chronically troubled and compelled with impulses to do wrong, I don't consider them responsible.
Many of them would not have the impulse to do those things if they could simply flip a switch and make it go away.
Now, if someone is constantly haunted with the strong impulse to assault or kill someone and eventually they act on it, there is choice involved, but that choice wouldn't have taken place if they had not been chronically inclined and compelled to do so, therefore it isn't completely their fault. Unless, they were entirely responsible for being inclined that way.
If you don't feel inclined to rape, torture, and murder innocent people, it wasn't because you chose not to be that way. It's simply you have the gift of compassion and empathy and your brain isn't wired to do that.
Do you agree? Although I like the statement "We are responsible for our behavior"...I'm not so sure it is entirely that black and white...it definitely isn't a true statement for some people.