This morning I wrote my lesson plan for this week’s new ethics topic, on psychic policing. There are some tough questions in this one for the kids:
- If police can precognitively predict that someone will commit a crime, should they stop them before they do it? (the Minority Report question)
- Would it be okay to use mind-reading to interrogate a suspect?
- Would it be okay to use clairvoyance to search a suspect’s house without them knowing?
- Should someone be arrested and/or punished for planning to kill someone?
- For thinking about killing someone?
- What effects would psychic policing have on society?
- How are these questions relevant for real world technology such as surveillance cameras, or hacking into suspects’ computers?
At lunchtime I mailed off another package of Magic: the Gathering cards to an eBay buyer. Then I took Scully past the pie shop, where the daily special today was a beef & Guinness pie. I’ve had this before—they also do it for St Patrick’s Day—and it’s delicious, so I got one of those. And then after walking back home I worked on a deal for more Magic cards with a person on a Discord server who is looking for some specific cards to buy. (When I say it like that it sounds a bit dodgy, like trading in something illegal! Except it’s not, of course.)
For dinner I made a pot of pumpkin, chick pea, and cauliflower soup. With coriander seed and a bit of chilli for spice. It turned out really nice. And warming, as it was another very chilly day today. I’m not enjoying the cold at all, but at least we haven’t had any rain to speak of for a while.
Tonight I ran the first three classes on the psychic policing topic. I think this is a good one as there was a lot of very interesting discussion with the kids. One very perceptive kid pointed out the contradiction inherent in having a vision of a future crime, and then doing something to prevent it, thus making the vision untrue.
New content today: