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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
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    Moral desert requires the capacity for morally significan... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Those who die in infancy or never develop into minimally rational agents also deserve condemnation along with the rest of the human race.

    Moral desert requires the capacity for morally significant choice; beings incapable of rational agency cannot be proper objects of punitive condemnation.

    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Moral responsibility requires the ability to understand norms and regulate behavior accordingly; non-rational beings lack this capacity.
      ?

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    • 2.Punitive condemnation expresses moral blame; blaming beings incapable of understanding blame is incoherent and disrespectful.
      ?

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    • 3.Desert-based punishment aims to give people what they merit for their choices; those without meaningful choice cannot merit punishment.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Some non-rational beings (young children, animals) can be conditioned by consequences; this suggests responsibility doesn't require full rationality.
      ?

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    • 2.We legitimately hold entities accountable for harms (restraining dangerous animals) without assuming rational agency or moral desert.
      ?

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    • 3.Moral desert might depend on action-causing capacity rather than rational agency specifically; non-rational agents can still cause harm intentionally.
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    Eternal Conscious Torment1 linkedAfterlife & Death1 linked

    Related

    Desert-based punishment aims to give people what they merit for their choices; t...Moral desert might depend on action-causing capacity rather than rational agency...Moral responsibility requires the ability to understand norms and regulate behav...Punitive condemnation expresses moral blame; blaming beings incapable of underst...
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    Some non-rational beings (young children, animals) can be conditioned by consequ...Those who die in infancy or never develop into minimally rational agents also de...We legitimately hold entities accountable for harms (restraining dangerous anima...

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    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
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    1 edit