Less folk lore speculation and more neuroscience
observations would do philosophy some good.
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334449,00.html
Neuroscience Increasingly Presented as Evidence for Trials in U.S. Courts
Sunday, March 02, 2008

This poster shows a scan of Peter Braunstein's brain compared with that of a normal brain.
NEW YORK ( — When Peter Braunstein was put on trial last year for a twisted Halloween torture attack, his lawyers used a visual aid
to suggest that his actions were the product of mental illness.

It was a scan of the defendant's brain. A doctor testified that the patterns it revealed indicated that Braunstein, accused of
donning a firefighter's costume and imprisoning a woman for 13 hours, suffered from schizophrenia.

The New York trial was one of a growing number of instances in which cutting-edge neuroscience has found its way into U.S. courts.

Brain scans have emerged as potentially powerful tools in battles over defendants' sanity. More defense attorneys are seeking scans
showing brain damage or abnormalities that might have made it difficult for their clients to control violent impulses.

And experts say there is much more to come — including a few things that seem the stuff of science fiction. Within years, brain
scans might be capable of serving as reliable lie detectors. Similar tests could potentially show whether a plaintiff in a personal
injury case is really in pain, or faking it for sympathy, and brain images might even help jurors assess the reliability of a
witness's memory.

However, some question whether the legal community might be moving too fast to embrace unproven technology.

On Mar 3, 12:45 pm, Sir Frederick fuzzysys.com> wrote:

But then we might all start to believe we are machines
and that our choices have a physical cause !

JC

On Sun, 2 Mar 2008 20:28:59 -0800 (PST), casey yahoo.com.au> wrote:

How undemeaning! Perhaps then even worthy of a bit of the
hubris we now fake.

"Sir Frederick" fuzzysys.com> wrote in message
news:5llms3tsns7k9nk3l9mnp6jiu0lrm1rdn8@4ax.com...

Thats all about the receptivity, not the information.

Science can confirm, but only if you have already 'figured it out'.

An example would be the pre scientific position of 'karma and reincarnation'
, followed by the discovery of genetic programming. Not news to the already
initiated, but intruiging to the 'still searching',who are ready for more
than just speculation.

BOfL

"casey" yahoo.com.au> wrote in message
news:47fd9635-9fe5-47df-a17e-d766c0dbb1df@d21g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
On Mar 3, 12:45 pm, Sir Frederick fuzzysys.com> wrote:

But then we might all start to believe we are machines
and that our choices have a physical cause !

JC

The beauty of beliefs is they are unlimited. Can also cause unlimited
confusion.

BOfL

In a world where our motivation is determined by the structure of our
brains, eventually every single criminal will have an excuse for his
or her behaviour.
The brain is structure by injury and illness, but it is also
structured by genetics and simple human experience. We cannot escape
the train of causality that leads to the present and we cannot escape
oursleves. Neuroscience will be able to demonstrate that all criminals
are victims of their own background, genetics and life experience.
THat being the case - how do we punish anyone?
Criminal justice has to abandon this current road, based on the
illusion of "free-will" and start to punish people, not so much for
what they do, but for the kind of person they are: becasue in
actuality that is exactly what we have been doing: now we need to be
honest. We need to grasp the nettle of determinism and punish more
honestly becasue there is little difference between a criminal that
makes a "free" choice and one who commits a crime becasue he is "made
that way".
Some people has able to overcome the threat and deterence of
punishment, some do it becasue they are mentally ill others becasue of
their live experience. Ultimately there is no difference. ...

"chazwin" yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:2bc07269-c710-43f3-b9bf-ec47a2072458@n36g2000hse.googlegroups.com...

Because in the "bigger picture" there will be people who are born with a pre
deterination to dissh out such 'justice'.

It is not about honesty but about conscious awareness.

On Mar 3, 9:11 pm, chazwin yahoo.com> wrote:

On Mar 3, 9:38 pm, "brian fletcher" gmail.com> wrote:

...

...

...

When this guy had a brain tumor he was attacking his
family while being fully conscious of what he was doing.
When asked later what he was thinking he said it was
like skidding of ice, he couldn't stop it.

JC

On Mon, 3 Mar 2008 12:38:27 -0800 (PST), casey
yahoo.com.au> wrote:

We'll know we've made progress as a species when there
are no longer good guys and bad guys ... only psychologically
healthy and unhealthy ones ... with the unhealthy in a climate
where they are educated to realize their problem(s) and
seek help in becoming healthy.

Art
http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg