--- mirah@... wrote:

> > Does it mean that Szasz thinks that it is legitimate for parents to
> > coerce their children?
>
> I don't speak for Dr. Szasz, but i.m.o. of course it is legitimate to
> coerce children. Parents make and enforce rules for their children like
> going to school in the morning, hand washing before eating,
> toothbrushing after, no candy before dinner, home before dark, bedtime
> at eight o'clock, etc. Not to do so would be neglect. Wise parents
> gradually transfer responsibility to their children as they grow older.
> However, legally and socially people up to age 18 remain the
> responsibility of their parents, and so controlled by them.

Many parents do make and enforce rules for their children. You haven't
explained why forcing children to do things against their will is helping
them nor why refraining from forcing them to do things is neglect. You have
not explained what disanalogy there is, if any, between forcing a child to
go to a school he hates five days a week for eight hours a day and forcing
a mental patient to undergo outpatient therapy. I await your explanation.

> > why would it be legitimate to coerce children but not adults who lack
> > knowledge of the real world for reasons other than being young?
>
> Szasz assumes that people who are labeled "mentally ill" or
> "schizophrenic" or whatever variant thereof have not been ruled
> incompetent by a judge, so they must be considered competent.

So if a judge ruled a person incompetent because he is mentally ill despite
the person's protests to the contrary this is perfectly acceptable? We
should only be bothered by the fact that the labeller is wearing a judge's
robes instead of a white coat or whatever?

> How we judge (in)competence and what we do with incompetent adults are
> subjects that deserve a great deal more debate. I would welcome such
> discussion on this list.

Competence doesn't have anything to do with whether a person is wise or
foolish. Rather if a person can reply consistently to questions about what
he wants he is competent, otherwise he is not. If we adopt another
criterion we place ourselves in the position of imposing our own values by
force on people who have committed no criminal acts for having a bad idea
isn't the same as committing a bad act.

Alan


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