An Unlikely Moral Dilemma
A question. Suppose you must choose between the following horrible evils:
1) Become mentally retarded.
2) Become a psychopath.
By “retarded” I mean a very severe level of cognitive impairment (think adult diapers); by “psychopath” I mean that you lose all sense of empathy, interest in the wellness of others, and moral values, but you keep your intelligence and memory. And no, suicide is not an option.
Which would you choose?
I’m writing this because I suspect that my answer is uncommon. My guess would be that for most people, it is a no-brainer - retardation is better, morally speaking, since it is less harmful to others. But I could only choose 2. Probably this says nothing good about me… The only thing I can say in my defense is that I’m consistent - if this horror would have to happen to someone I love (say, Danny), I would prefer option 2 for them as well. Interestingly, I can’t explain why. Thoughts?
Update: turns out my answer was not uncommon at all. Moreover, friends have convinced me that I shouldn't feel bad about it, because the second option is probably better for everyone. Sorry for making you think about this :-)