From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Thu Dec 05 2002 - 11:10:01 MST
Mike writes
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-extropians@extropy.org
> [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.org]On Behalf Of Michael M. Butler
> Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 11:41 PM
> To: extropians@extropy.org
> Importance: High
>> Who you think killed your wife.
>
> Sheesh. Phenomenology-epistemology time again.
>
> Damien, can you bring yourself to acknowledge that
> there are circumstances where (to the degree one can
> aver that *anything* ever really happened), it is
> possible for a husband to be as correct that Miscreant X
> killed his wife as it is possible for a man or woman
> to be correct that he or she has just cut himself or
> herself shaving?
Those cases will be rare. I find more accurate your
signature remark
> MMB, puzzled by the fact that on the aggregate,
> circumstantial evidence, witness recall, testimony and
> juries *all* have error rates that would warrant
> a _product_ recall if a multinational was caught selling
> them...
Well, the solution is obvious. Since witness recall
and the whole justice system is so flawed, let's just
stop punishing people for crimes altogether. Besides,
many studies have shown that punishment offers little
in the way of deterrence anyhow, so is anyone really
being helped by locking up the bad guys? (Besides
making certain people feel better?) Besides, it
greatly inconveniences the criminals who, it must
not be forgotten, are people too.
Lee, who is back in sarcasm mode for once.
> PS: I can't believe I let myself get sucked into this thread.
P.S.: and I can hardly believe I'm writing such a short response.
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