Various Thoughts XVIII

One of the most contentious issues in the dispute between theists and atheists concerning the origin and development of life is the structure of the eye. Many believe that it is too complex to have developed randomly. It is the debate between undirected evolution – which posits that the complicated structures within the orbit developed and learned to function together as a matter of pure chance – and the planned formation of a visual organ in of a sensory system suitable for each individual species, “directed evolution,” (a concept acceptable to many “believers”).

More complex, however, is reproduction itself. We no longer undergo binary fission, but how did we get from there to where we are now? If individual mutations are responsible, how did they happen to occur in a functional order and how did life survive through the intervening period, when the new system was developing – and that must have been a long time? New systems require new organs, new hormones, and new behaviors. All this by chance?

Without an eye there can be persistence of life. Perhaps olfactory sense could substitute during the intervening generations. But there would be an immediate end to life if there were no reproductive mechanism. Even if male and female organs developed simultaneously in individuals, those individuals would have to be in the same continent – near to each other and to find each other – and know what to do with their new parts. What are the odds?

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I thought I'd throw in some questions about “cruel and unusual punishment [CUP]” and similar problems. Most of the issues apply to death in one way or another. First of all, I'm concerned about FDA rules. Some states permit capital punishment and use drugs to effect it. Since I don't think the FDA has approved any drugs for killing people, this constitutes “off-label” use. Is this CUP and is it permissible? Some states permit suicide, including assisted suicide. May you use off-label effects to do yourself in? I know that outdated pharmaceuticals are disqualified for executions, but I wonder if a “loved one” supplies a drug one day beyond its expiration date for employment by a suicide, has he committed a crime?

On occasion, death-penalty opponents invoke the legal process to delay an execution. Is it CUP to make a convict wait for his end a second time? May such outsiders convince the courts not to execute him but change the sentence to “life without parole” when the individual involved would rather die than spend fifty years in prison, or is this CUP? If they succeed it is contrary to the wishes of the convict involved. And is either penalty, itself, CUP?

Who should pay the costs of execution? Is it a right, according to the First Amendment, for someone opposed to capital punishment because of his religion, to seek reimbursement of his portion of such costs? And who pays the medical costs 0f those who attempt suicide but fail – especially if they were “assisted” incorrectly?

Do long periods of pre-trial confinement of those who cannot afford bail, who may flee, and those considered too dangerous to be on the streets? Suppose they are ultimately found not guilty. Should they be reimbursed for the time they served though rendered innocent? And since a speedy trial is part of our tradition (“justice delayed is justice denied”) is it CUP to allow lawyers to delay proceedings for any reason?

It all becomes more complicated because the laws of the various states are not the same. Should they be?

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My “quality of life” may not be ideal, but I'll take it. My sense of taste is markedly reduced, making eating more a chore than a pleasure, but that's partly because my appetite leaves a lot to be desired. That symptom preceded the loss of taste so I can't put all the blame there, but together they take some of the excitement out of life, leaving a degree of boredom, but I'll take it. (By the way, “boredom” and “bedroom” share the same letters, which is fine considering the fatigue brought on by the chemotherapy and other meds. And also because I'm getting older.) I have a neuropathy which affects my feet, lower legs, and fingers. Because of the leg and foot involvement I totter. I'm unsteady and I fall or nearly fall a lot. And the finger symptoms make it hard for me to button buttons and hold some things. I'm a wreck.

But I'm alive and I'll take all the trade-offs.

I'd probably be far less sanguine if I were suffering – if, for example, I had unbearable pain. But I don't. The pain I have is well controlled and no real problem. Were I in pain I might be less interested in continuing the status quo. Some states would permit me to commit suicide. They might even help me. But I wonder if the solution to this problem, and others, is to eliminate it by suicide rather than deal with it. Some would follow the route of invoking nothingness but it's not for me. I prefer hope, denial, and a good pain management team. With their help I can maintain my belief in the “absolute” that harm to any individual, including the self, is wrong – even in the face of a less than ideal quality of life.

January 4, 2018