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I think the Cosmological Principle can be applied to these situations. The CP roughly states that when we observe the Universe we are seeing a representative p

by dhimes 9y ago

I think the Cosmological Principle can be applied to these situations. The CP roughly states that when we observe the Universe we are seeing a representative part. We are not living in some "special place." Applied here (and in other situations where groups of people act for good or for bad), it would mean that the bad behavior is not because the police are inherently any worse than anybody else, but rather the evolution of the situation led them to this behavior, and, importantly, would lead most sets of people to this behavior. So replacing the actors would either need to be done periodically, or would have to be done with an entirely new set of rules. This is also my bias for things like the banking crisis. When something like that happens, it's too easy to blame something like greed. But that's missing the point. If you don't change the rules or some other aspect of the game, you are going to get the same situation again.

neuland 9y ago
Where is the line between the environment and the individual? Even if the Baltimore environment drove the police to criminal behavior, it is unacceptable to let them get away with it. Obviously there is an issue with the environment but that doesn’t really affect the current situation: namely bad behavior in the police department. Corrupt and criminal cops need to be prosecuted. The system needs to change going forward (equipment, policies, training, community outreach, etc).
- dhimes 9y ago
  I'm not to let anybody get away with it. I'm just saying that without a change of environment the next group of police are likely to end up doing the same things after some time.
  - neuland 9y ago
    My mistake for misreading your comment. That's definitely true. Punishing the egregious cases is a step in the right direction. But, there are a million other things that need to be fixed, including many things outside the police department's control.

by dhimes 9y ago

neuland 9y ago

Where is the line between the environment and the individual? Even if the Baltimore environment drove the police to criminal behavior, it is unacceptable to let them get away with it. Obviously there is an issue with the environment but that doesn’t really affect the current situation: namely bad behavior in the police department. Corrupt and criminal cops need to be prosecuted. The system needs to change going forward (equipment, policies, training, community outreach, etc).

dhimes 9y ago
I'm not to let anybody get away with it. I'm just saying that without a change of environment the next group of police are likely to end up doing the same things after some time.
- neuland 9y ago
  My mistake for misreading your comment. That's definitely true. Punishing the egregious cases is a step in the right direction. But, there are a million other things that need to be fixed, including many things outside the police department's control.