Hey peacegirl,
I’ve finally found the time to give you some feedback on Chapter 2 of your father’s book. Sorry about the delay. I didn’t find as much this time around to pick apart and scrutinize, but there were a few points:
Is it justified to strike back in retaliation when you are a determinist? I mean, when you know the first person couldn’t help but to strike you first? Your father did say:
I agree with you.
People take risks when they choose that which they might be punished for, but all the more reason to choose when you won’t get punished. I realize there is an argument coming up for why someone would have no incentive to strike the first blow when there are no risks (i.e. no blame, no punishment), but that makes me wonder what the current argument is trying to support.
This is a point that keeps coming up, and I’m still not clear on it–how can one be free and not free at the same time? Compelled from a 3rd person’s point of view but free from your own 1st person point of view. What does “free” mean in this case?
I know I agreed with this earlier, but does this imply that one who knows he will never be blamed or punished will also take full responsibility for his actions? I mean, keep in mind, not all actions are under our control even if it isn’t other people who are responsible for them. Being bed ridden because one is sick is no one’s fault, not the one who is sick nor other people.
Finally, I’m compelled to question what the ultimate incentive is to refrain from striking the first blow when you know there will be no blame or punishment returned to you. Is it unbearable guilt? Is it risking making enemies or hatred/fear of you? Is it that there is no logical possibility of getting anything out of it (like stealing might get you riches)? Is it just that it wouldn’t accomplish anything useful to you?
I would also like to question exceptional circumstances–like when one is compelled by some kind of brain abnormality which results in his compulsive and uncontrollable harming of others (like turrets syndrome), or when one is starving and must steal in order to eat (the desire in this case wouldn’t be to harm another, certainly not to retaliate, but to satisfy one’s hunger only, which may outweigh the harm caused to others or the deterring effects of causing such harm, and may be carried out with at least the attempt to satisfy one’s desire without harming the other)?