Minority Report: Etiske dilemmaer om prævention af kriminalitet

1: Before Witwer catches the ball going down the chute, was it true that the ball was going to drop?

Yes, it was going to fall.

2: Is it justifiable to punish people for crimes that they would have committed, but didn’t

No, I don’t think it is. I know that they can see into the future when a murder is about to happen. But they are not a 100% sure that it actually is going to happen. And if you are not a 100% sure then you can’t punish anyone.

3: It is justifiable to punish people for crimes that they did commit, if determinism is true and it was impossible for them not to commit crime.

In this case I think that it is okay. I mean, if you know that they are going to do it for sure, then I think it is great if you can prevent it. But you shouldn’t punish them like they do in the movie. Just put them in a regular jail or prison.

4: I it justifiable to harm some innocent people (like Anne Lively, the Precogs and John Anderson) for the greater good of the society (e.g. for a low murder rate)