Ye Shall Be As Gods? – Class 6, Period 3

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

"Personality reconditioning," Juli said quietly, as soon as her class had gathered and had settled down, "is what we will be discussing today."

"A person's personality is defined, in its simplest form, as the totality of an individual's behavioural and emotional characteristics. This," a faint smile, "as I'm sure should come as no surprise to any of you, can be altered through various methods--such as drugs, and the like."

"In my universe," Juli told them, "this sort of reconditioning is used instead of capital punishment. If you commit a crime, your mind is rewired to produce a 'new you' that is more beneficial to society. What other uses can you think of for rewriting someone else's mind?"

She leaned folded her hands neatly over her stomach, her eyes sweeping the classroom. “Would you ever alter someone else’s mind?” Pause. “What do you think would drive you to do it? If you are sure you would never do it—and, please, remember that there are no certainties and the universe enjoys making a fool of the best laid plans—consider what might drive someone else to do it. Would you condemn them?”

“After that,” Juli said, “I open the room to discussion about the pros and cons of personality reconditioning. What do you think? Compare and contrast your ideas with your classmates and see if what they say has any impact on your own opinions.”

[Wait for the OCD is up! Go to it!]

Comments

Re: Answer the Question

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

"Would I? Probably not, why bother?" Anemone shrugged, not looking up from her coloring. "It's a lot of work, and you can't predict the outcome. At least, not in my world. Besides, even if you get the base persona that you want, you can't control how the environment affects them. Time doesn't hold still just because you want your toy to stay new and shiny."

Re: Answer the Question

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

"And if you say, mind-wiped a murderer," Juli asked, not commenting on the 'toy' part, "do you think they'd still turn out a murderer again?"

Re: Answer the Question

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

"Are you gonna toss them in the same circumstances that made them a murderer in the first place, or are you going to keep an eye on them and make sure those conditions aren't repeated?" she asked, still drawing. "I'm not a doctor, but even I'm bright enough to know that history repeats itself on occasion, if left unchecked."