Did I walk away? Nay, I did not. But can you consider that just because an argument is presented with a flaw, that there might be validity to the idea inside it?
Sure. We do that with the law of gravity. We know its wrong, but we still use it. We do this with the caveat that it will be questioned and picked at so we can improve it. When I know I have a flawed view, I question the wrong parts so I can get closer to understanding.
So in this context, I'm not saying that mental health is not a big factor in driving murderers. That would go against my original point in this thread. What I am saying is that not all murderers are mentally ill.
That is discourse. Expect to be challenged. If I had been disrespectful that might be a different issue, but I have not been. You make absolute statements and I point out the flaw. I also take your feedback and challenge my views.
I don't think you provided sound logic with your dismissal... but that's fine. You don't have to disprove anything. That's a non-starter.
Apparently. You did nothing to explain where I was flawed, so I guess that is done.
Do you think that there is no innate aspect to humanity towards preservation of the species? Or is it only preservation of the self?
Wow, that kinda came out of left field there. Of course there is both. A society that is built only on the preservation of the self will have no qualms with killing others for individual gain. That would cause a long term investment problem. If the society did not care about individuals, then there would be short and long run investment problems. Either extreme would not be optimal and would increase human suffering and reduce progress. Sounds horrible.
If murder was part of our natural state, wouldn't it be a norm and not even outlawed?
No. Forgive me, but that is stupid. No way you thought that through. Anger, Joy, Sorrow ect are all parts of natural human emotion. Without getting into a much larger discussion about evolution, understand that we have emotions that can, if left unchecked, drive us to do things that are not in our best interests.
And again, I'm trying to make the clear distinction between killing and murder. With your example of inherited racism, how is the person operating under a warped and incorrect worldview not mentally ill? How are you defining mental illness? Did I miss it in a previous post, or am I forgetting it?
That is an issue there. There is not a well established definition for mental illness. I use it differently than many would I bet. Mental illness is when someone has a mental condition that drives them to do something that is not fully in their self interests.
That would be different than say making decisions with flawed information. If you are taught to believe in god X and that god does not exist, you are not mentally ill inherently. You would still be wrong, but not ill.
Being given wrong information with the presupposition that it was correct is not abuse. It can be harmful, but its not abuse.
I'll see if I can better explain my thoughts. I'm feeling a little jumbled at this time.
Thats fine. This is complex. If you would rather, you can PM me and we can discuss there. Public comments tend to get distracted by others.