2 ms·

> To what end? Should we waterboard them every day? Should we implant them with pain devices that make their life hell? Nothing like the good, old reductio ad

• mabbo 8y ago
  > reductio ad absurdium Let me simplify it then, with no logical fallacy: If harming those who commit crimes is a good thing, why not do it more? Why not make it worse? And who gets to decide how much is enough?
  • V-2 8y ago
    > If harming those who commit crimes is a good thing, why not do it more? Because proportion is a good thing, too - and is pivotal for the whole concept of justice. > And who gets to decide how much is enough? The same instance that decides what is and what is not a crime. Ultimately: society, in one way or another. "Implementation details" depend on the era and the civilization.
• sls 8y ago
  The problem is that a lot of what happens in American prisons really is absurd, Kafkaesque, sadism apparently for its own sake, and yet this hasn't actually led to the reductio. When we know that other approaches are better for society in that they lead to less recidivism, and are also less painful for the criminals, and yet continue to push in the opposite direction, it's reasonable to ask if there are any limits to our appetite for inflicting pain. If we can't even ask, then imo that is what prevents the meaningful discussion.