One of the pillars of Conservatism is the notion of all people are responsible and accountable for their actions. So why do I bring this up? I had a discussion today at work revolving around ADHD/Psychopaths/Homosexuals. The guy at work is a staunch California Liberal, and I am a true Conservative. His point of view very basically was that people are predisposed and some are straight-up born to not have choices on the above mentioned areas. I, being a realist, will give ground on the fact that with the infinite number of triggers in our brain that there will be some who are given a predisposition towards two of the above, and on very rare conditions (mostly the 0.1% of people) people are genetically attracted to the same sex. Before my fellow conservatives have a heart attack, I still believe that even with "genetic mutations" mankind is still given the choice of following instinct or making moral decisions.
What does this all mean? If I were to get any random homosexual and sit them down and say, "You have two options. Either you were born gay or you chose to be. Which would you choose?" I then went on to explain that with the taboo that society (and God) has placed on being homosexual, no one in their right mind would ever say this was my choice. People instead would blame culture and "God". This also begins to explain why most Homosexuals are Liberals as well. I also told him that my theory would prove itself in the long run when being a homosexual was a widely accepted way of life that people would begin to say that it is their choice. When there is no need for excuses then the truth will come through. To take the other road of, "This was my choice." would entail accountability for that choice and the responsibility of living with that decision.
To make this less provocative lets look at a psychopath. Science has "proven" that being a psychopaths is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain that separates feeling from decisions. A psychopath has a genetic disposition to act without concern for consequence because they feel nothing towards that consequence. Most people we know to be psychopaths are CEO's, Managers, Used Car Sales men, politicians, and the occasional Jeffery Dommer. With psychopaths there is still a choice to make. To be morally wrong or to be morally right.
I believe this is the Freedom of Choice we got from Adam and Eve, regardless of genetic dispositions, we still have choices. Some people have a harder choice, based on what "defects" science deems they have, but regardless it is the age old battle of overcoming instincts. Overcoming instincts has another neat name, Civilization.
Jarred, You hit the nail on the head. To the best of my knowledge, we've never discussed this particular issue in person, but if I didn't know better, I'd say you were stealing my analysis. lol. In all seriousness, as you note, this comes down to accountability. People don't want to be accountable for the choices they make. I would use another example. There are individuals born with a predisposition to violence. In every encounter, they have a choice to give in to the violence or supress it. The same is the case with homosexuality and the other abhorrations you note.
ReplyDelete-Good post!