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Robert Harris Case

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This brings into question the severity and extent to which Robert Harris should be held accountable for his actions. There are two different ends of the morality spectrum through which Harris can be found guilty: moral responsibility and criminal responsibility. This is where the different theories on moral responsibility truly come into play. While none of these philosophical arguments would hold up in court, it does make the decisions made by Robert Harris seem much more complicated than it first appeared. The criminal justice system is based on a libertarian train of thought. The system makes the assumption that we do possess free will, but also, in some circumstances, we do not. When it comes to Robert Harris, the formula for liability …show more content…

When it comes to moral responsibility, the manner in which guilt is given is far messier than the libertarian methods of assigning guilt. The scale of morality falls more under the jurisdiction of the compatibilist and the skeptic than the libertarian. The compatibilist would argue that taking in Harris’s condition, he was not in a conscious state of mind. The argument is that given Harris’s reaction to the murder, there is no way he is of sound and stable mind. He began to develop the characteristics of a psychopath. Harris had began to desecrate animals and actually laughed in the face of his actions as a killer. This and the evidence that as a premature baby and the large amount of childhood abuse led to the underdevelopment of certain parts of his brain. Had Harris’s circumstances been different, he would have had the ability to do otherwise. However, he did not. This same train of thought applies to the skeptic. Harris impaired ability to perform or act as a functioning member of society was due in part to his background but also his mental illness. Harris could not have picked out his family, his natural tendencies, or his character; therefore, he is innocent of the crimes he committed since his fate was already determined due to his lack of control over the situation. With the combined background of Robert Harris and his mental illness, he cannot be held morally responsible for his actions on July 5,

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