November 4, 2009

• murderer with aggression genes gets sentence cut

  This was an interesting article: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18098-murderer-with-aggression-genes-gets-sentence-cut.html

  Basically a convicted murderer had his prison sentence reduced because scientists found that the genetic code in his body contained a particular variant that was "linked to aggression" in other people who had the same genetic variant.

  This raises all sorts of interesting questions.  Are people's actions merely products of their genetics?  Are people's actions "deterministic" (they don't have any choice in their actions despite the "illusion of free will")?  If it is true that particular genetic variants are linked to particular temptations (alcoholism, gluttony, sexual immorality, homosexuality, etc), does the presence of the temptation excuse the sin?  Indeed, for naturalists, on what basis could one ever say that any act is "right" or "wrong"?  Thus, on what basis could a legitimate government (with laws and punishments for lawbreaking) ever be enacted in the first place?  Etc.

  How about this question - If one believes in natural selection ("survival of the fittest") and also that one's actions are determined by their genes, shouldn't one favor the Biblical Jewish-theocracy capital punishment for acts like murder, reasoning that such genes should be removed from the gene pool as quickly as possible?

  Of course, I don't believe that one's actions are determined by their genes.  But it seems that naturalists should consider the implications of their beliefs....

  • 9:36 pm
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