I'm really not a consequentalist (news at eleven?)

I grumped under f-lock awhile back about a really bizarre anon on Tumblr who interrogated me about why I think intent and mental capacity affect moral culpability. Some three or four asks later, I lost patience with them, but my original response is maybe relevant to people's interests here.

(The immediate context was Kylo Ren wank, but I largely bypassed that for LET'S TALK ABOUT ETHICS.)

Anon:

Do you mind explaining what you mean about diminished capacity? I have a hard time getting where it matters. Even if the intent is not the same the end result doesn't change. In order to not excuse it, they both need to be treated the same.. I don't get how diminished capacity would make Kylo Ren somehow less immoral than Hux. He still did those things. Some things cannot be made up for.

Me:

The concept that intent does not alter the morality of crime is … completely contrary to how criminal law works. And most systems of ethics.

I’m a lot more interested in ethics than further villain wank, which I feel I have very thoroughly addressed, so I’m talking about the role of intent and capacity in morality here.

TW for murder, torture, rape, suicide, and disassociative depression/mania

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