In the latest development in a case we have followed, word comes that Norwegian prosecutors have decided Anders Breivik is criminally insane and hence unfit for trial. This assessment is still subject to review before the trial date however.
A sentence at the end of this article caught my eye, regarding that old philosophical warhorse, instrumental vs prudential reason:
The Associated Press quotes Swedish forensic psychiatrists Anders Forsman as saying, “It is difficult to see this as criminal insanity. He seems to have carried out the killings in a rational way. He is an efficient killing machine."
This blog post is a worthwhile reflection on American securitarianism w/r/t insanity, with an interesting reference to John Hinckley, Ronald Reagan's would-be assassin.
Via Aaron Bady's Twitter feed, which you should be following.
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