Taylor Campbell4
Regular
369 messages
joined Jul 2009
It really comes down to this—either a society is just, or it isn't.
Think about it: an individual might go on a hunger strike for one of two reasons. Either they feel the system is fundamentally unfair and they're fighting for justice—making it a moral stand—or, quite simply, the person is struggling with their mental health.
Now, if we're looking at the latter—where someone’s perception of themselves and their role in the community is skewed due to illness—I actually think it's ethically sound to intervene forcefully to save their life. It's about preservation.
But here's the kicker: if the society truly *is* being unjust to them, and that injustice is what drives the hunger strike, shouldn't the state remain consistent? Should it not prevent the strike by force to avoid being unjust again?
So, we have these two distinct scenarios. Just some food for thought—nothing more than a bit of musing (don't quote me on this 😁).
Personally, I believe every hunger strike is a unique, individual situation. We shouldn't be shoving people into rigid categories or applying blanket rules; each case deserves its own scrutiny. Who should handle that? Well, doctors, certainly—perhaps a specialized medical board including specialists like psychologists. In fact, I remember reading about those psychologists in the States a few years back who actually integrate philosophy into their treatment methods.
Ultimately, hunger strikes are just symptoms—indicators of much deeper issues, systemic flaws, or even a lack of humanity within our social fabric.
In my view, unless a person has committed a violent crime—someone who poses a genuine threat to others—there is no reason for them to be behind bars. In this high-tech era, there are plenty of ways to prevent recidivism, whether it's fraud or drug offenses, without resorting to incarceration. Prison is often just a form of vengeance, and let's be honest, vengeance is rarely productive or good. It just creates a cycle where people leave prison looking to get even with the society that punished them.
The death penalty follows a similar logic, where the flaw in the system is even more glaring.
