2007-07-07 12:39:00 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Absolutely not. Schizophrenics are psychotic; they have auditory and visual hallucinations and may often, though no fault of their own, respond to their own disordered thoughts violently or in any other way that goes against conventional standards. Since their delusions are so strong they cannot be held accountable for most of their actions. They have about as much free will as the fictional 'God' has given to the rest of us. With God it's "Believe in me or you burn." With schizophrenics it's "Of course I know that I just shat all over the floor. The voices told me to." Either way, there is no free will to be found.
I am not saying people with mental illnesses should not be accountable for their actions IF they are in their right mind. Someone going through something so terrible as schizophrenia needs to be hospitalized if they grow violent, but certainly responsibility cannot be placed upon them for having delusions.
2007-07-07 13:32:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
To a limited degree. In a court of law, the standard would not be whether there was a disease name attached to what they have, since it is possible to find a term in the "official" directory (I forget the name, but it's the one they always quote in court, DM something) for just about anyone. The question would be whether they had the capacity to discern right from wrong, or if they were acting under the influence of an "irresistible impulse." Now, that second one is the tricky one. The movie "Anatomy of a Murder" does a great job of illustrating just how tricky it can be. How does a jury distinguish between an irresistible impulse and an impulse which was not resisted? Here the psychologist or psychiatrist treating a person for schizophrenia might be needed.
If you are asking about free will outside of a legal setting, my own answer is (from experience) that most people would be surprised at just how much will is involved in some of the crazy things people do. I have spent time in mental hospitals, and talked to the other patients about their behavior and my own. We agreed that it would not be a good idea to let the staff know just how often what we did was calculated, how often it was spontaneous, and so on.
Draw your own conclusion.
2007-07-07 20:03:31 · answer #2 · answered by auntb93 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
They have a mental illness and yes they still have free will. There is always a choice to be made.
2007-07-07 19:43:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Yes, it may not always be clear or reasonable by they still have free will.
2007-07-07 19:45:18 · answer #4 · answered by kaehya2003 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
no one does.
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, - 2 Timothy 1:9.
2007-07-07 19:50:18 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Yes- sorry I got in too early
2007-07-07 19:41:35 · answer #6 · answered by Link , Padawan of Yoda 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You could write a novel on Biblical loopholes like this.
2007-07-07 19:41:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
And if he does, is it his own will or that of the person that only he can hear?
Things that make ya go hmmm....
2007-07-07 19:51:27 · answer #8 · answered by ? 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Yes I do! No I don't! Yes I do! No I don't!
2007-07-07 19:44:16 · answer #9 · answered by in a handbasket 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Clearly not... they are tightly bound by their delusions...
2007-07-07 19:42:39 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋