Post by dalia on May 12, 2016 5:40:47 GMT
The view that whether one will grow up to be a criminal offender can be predicted by brain scans seems dangerously deterministic to me. I doubt that the majority of people who have these abnormalities in their brains grow up to be criminals. Preventative measures can seem logical and harmless at first but I think they should not be taken because taking preventative measures would be equal to accepting this opinion. For older kids, the sole knowledge of the fact that they have a differing brain structure which can lead them to be a criminal offender can change the way they see themselves and shape their future actions. In other words it can create a self fulfilling prophecy. People who think they are prone to crime because of their biology can actually become more likely to commit criminal actions and justify them by pointing at determinism and biology.
You bring up a good point about how assumptions/prophecies can shape our reality and future! Essentially, I think it all goes back to the biology vs society debate regarding the causes of the disease. The self-fulfilling prophecy can definitely be detrimental if the disease is mostly socially constructed, however, if its more biologically based (amygdala size etc...), don't you think it'll be more harmful to not take any measures? Maybe we can consider concealing some information from the child or implementing small changes that aren't directly noticeable, like parenting style (rewards instead of punishment) or diet (vitamin pills)?