Poll
Question:
How likely is someone to (in)advertantly cause harm to another?
Option 1: Greater than a 1/10 chance
votes: 7
Option 2: Greater than a 1/100 chance, less than a 1/10 chance
votes: 4
Option 3: Greater than a 1/1000 chance, less than a 1/100 chance
votes: 2
Option 4: Greater than a 1/100000 chance, less than a 1/1000 chance
votes: 1
Option 5: Less than any of the above options
votes: 2
Just an opinion poll. Leave reasons for your opinion if you wish. An example of inadvertant harm would be getting behind the wheel, and then getting into a car accident. Another example of harm would be getting into a physical fight with someone.
Edit: fixed to remove marijuana references.
Is psychological damage considered harm?
Yes. One can be charged with physical, emotional, and mental abuse of another person, so it's all dangerous.
Well, I had to go with Greater than 1/10 because darned if I'm not throwing dirty looks at people all day long in real life and through the computer. And I just know that they're always thinking mean things about me when they see me. People think vicious thoughts.
I figured "harm" meant "any harm", so that was the only way I could justify such a ridiculously high proportion. If you meant harm to the extent it would be a crime, my number would probably change significantly.
Quote from: TehUser on April 30, 2006, 09:05 AM
Well, I had to go with Greater than 1/10 because darned if I'm not throwing dirty looks at people all day long in real life and through the computer. And I just know that they're always thinking mean things about me when they see me. People think vicious thoughts.
I figured "harm" meant "any harm", so that was the only way I could justify such a ridiculously high proportion. If you meant harm to the extent it would be a crime, my number would probably change significantly.
"Harm" in this poll refers to interactions where one person hurts another in such a way to restrict that second person's rights, to life, liberty, property, speed, happiness, etc. Anything someone can do that the government can be asked to step in and take action against them after-the-fact should be considered.
I'm beginning to be swayed by Rule's arguments that for the greater good of society we need to lock everyone up, if say, there's a 1 in 100 chance that someone can infringe on the rights of someone else. Since 2.5% of our population is behind bars, that's pretty strong evidence to me that the number is at least 2.5 in 100.
You make a good case, especially when that 2.5% only represents crimes in which the perpetrator has been caught and convicted. I'm sure there's a substantial proportion that have committed crimes and not been caught or committed crimes and been acquitted. The number really is quite staggering.
How likely in what? During a lifetime? I would say that is very close to 100% probability that some time during a life time you inadvertantly cause harm to someone else.
1/10.
Quote from: Adron on April 30, 2006, 10:41 AM
How likely in what? During a lifetime? I would say that is very close to 100% probability that some time during a life time you inadvertantly cause harm to someone else.
I regularly beat up my friends on purpose. What's the point?
Quote from: MyndFyre[vL] on April 30, 2006, 03:48 PM
I regularly beat up my friends on purpose. What's the point?
Point of that is that I can't see anything other than option 1 being a reasonable answer, if this is for the duration of a life time.
*mutters something about bubble boy*