Does altering the brain relieve one of responsibility?

[Philosophy Explorer]

In other words, if you alter the brain enough to convert someone from a criminal to someone who's guaranteed to be a whole new person, someone who's morally responsible and remorseful, does that mean he/she is totally exonerated of his/her crime and can be set loose upon society with the record either sealed or destroyed? What does this say about responsibility for one's own actions?

PhilX

[Scott Mayers]

In other words, if you alter the brain enough to convert someone from a criminal to someone who's guaranteed to be a whole new person, someone who's morally responsible and remorseful, does that mean he/she is totally exonerated of his/her crime and can be set loose upon society with the record either sealed or destroyed? What does this say about responsibility for one's own actions?

PhilX

Good question. I think we count on others to remain consistent even if they change. Punishing criminals is more about societal relief, retribution, and vengeance; Correction or repair doesn't sit well with those who've felt betrayed to certain extremes. People's views progress all the time. Yet we hold them accountable for even past ideas they may have proposed regardless. We also frown on them as 'turncoats' or untrustworthy for lacking the consistency we prefer of them. Imagine if Hitler could be brought back to life. If he had evolved to regret his past self in perfect sincerity and could prove it, this would not matter until all those affected by him had been long past dead. I just watched an excellent doc series called, "The World Wars", which focused on the main historical figures involved and demonstrated how history unfolded and shaped each of their worldviews. Hitler didn't get off the hook in the end even though the story helped to demonstrate his route to his thinking in a justified manner. On the other hand, Winston Churchill's history also demonstrated that he'd also been the sole 'owner' of his commanding role to send ships through Gallapoli in a careless manner that got a quarter of a million people killed unnecessarily.

So in answer to your question, my view is that yes, altering the brain does fairly remove their onus of responsibility intellectually. But this won't matter to those affected regardless.

[henry quirk]

"does that mean he/she is totally exonerated of his/her crime(?)'

Joe is a bad guy and butchers a dozen people...Joe is subjected to a radical therapy that -- as you say -- 'converts' him.

Joe is now sane and nice and responsible, and that dozen people are still dead.

Joe has a price to pay for his past actions and -- if Joe is now nice and sane and responsible -- he himself ought to understand this.