From: Damien Broderick (d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Mon Apr 29 2002 - 20:13:59 MDT
At 06:37 PM 4/29/02 -0700, Hal wrote:
>Here is a thought experiment
>If your answer to question 1 was B or C, then the question is what
>limitations, if any, you think should be imposed on other people.
>Should they be allowed to take answer A and proceed with the experiment
>based solely on the mouse results?
>Where do you draw the line for other people?
Here's a variant:
It has been found that raising children in cruel and painful circumstances
sometimes increases their IQ and artistic abilities significantly over that
of their siblings, sometimes to genius levels. Certain kinds of physical
impairment or long stretches of childhood illnesses, the sort that cause an
irremediable social gulf between ill child and healthier peers, augment
this effect. Would you choose to raise your child like this? Would you
allow medical researchers to trial a variety of different diseases and
minor mutilations on your young child in the expectation of an enhanced
chance of genius? Even if you find this personally abhorrent, do you as a
libertarian feel that it would be wrong to prevent other people's children
having the benefit of such treatment?
Damien Broderick
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