On October 22nd, 2014, Sarah Paul presented her talk entitled “Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop”. A recording of the talk is available here.
Should the law punish us for our guilty thoughts? If not, must it wait to intervene until an actual harm has been done? The recent case of the Cannibal Cop vividly illustrates a tension between the aim of preventing harm and the sanctity of thought and expression. Sarah Paul will discuss how philosophical work on intention and actions-in-progress can help us in resolving this tension.