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Utilitarian Dilemma: Mind Control
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Post by
gamerunknown
In the book
Corrections
there's a little vignette where a company promoter espousing some physical gel for use in therapy notes it could be useful in producing compliant behaviour in prisoners. A member of the audience complains that doing such would violate the eighth amendment and the promoter points out that the suicide rate and living conditions in a penitentiary nearby indicate the gel is a far more humane option.
It brought to mind "soma" from Brave New World, which has been used in various hypotheticals critiquing utilitarianism since. In this specific instance, what'd you say?
I suppose there are two different principled oppositions: the first is that of absolute volition, in that it is always wrong to deprive an individual of their own cognitions. The second is that happy compliance is insufficient punishment for felons.
On the flipside, some people may argue that the applications aren't far reaching enough and that the drug could be applied to people in menial occupations in order for them to tolerate hierarchy.
Personally, I'd have no principled opposition to such a drug as long as it was only administered to those that consented (and I know there's an argument that felons have rescinded their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but yeah).
For the sake of the hypothetical, we'll say the drug has no unintended side effects and recidivism rates drop sharply in the experimental trials where it is used.
Post by
557473
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204878
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Post by
ElhonnaDS
You'd have no principled opposition to a mind control drug, as long as people signed a waver?
I cannot even have this debate.
Post by
301983
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Post by
ElhonnaDS
Mind Control or in other words "Branwash" is the "drug" you called it used by the governments to their people to make them believe what they want them to believe and make them think the way they want them to think. Sometimes even the most minor person in your life can be a part of that firm.
What firm?
Post by
557473
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Post by
168916
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Post by
gamerunknown
This hypothetical drug sounds like pot or opiates without the side effects - why worry about waivers when you could probably just leave the stuff on tables, to greater effect?
Informed consent is a part of my moral outlook :p
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