What if it is done by a baby or a kid with mental impairments so she cannot follow moral/social norms? I see no reason to treat the situation differently in such a case. (Except that one might want to talk to the parents of the kid in order to have them consider a psychological check-up for their child.)
From the cat. I would in fact press a magic button that turns all carnivores into vegans. The cat (or the kid) doesn’t know what it is doing and cannot be meaningfully blamed, but I still consider this to be a harmful action and I would want to prevent it. Who commits the act makes no difference to me (or only for indirect reasons).
What if it is done by a baby or a kid with mental impairments so she cannot follow moral/social norms? I see no reason to treat the situation differently in such a case. (Except that one might want to talk to the parents of the kid in order to have them consider a psychological check-up for their child.)
Differently from a normal kid, or differently from a cat? (I share Morendil’s moral intuitions regarding his example.)
From the cat. I would in fact press a magic button that turns all carnivores into vegans. The cat (or the kid) doesn’t know what it is doing and cannot be meaningfully blamed, but I still consider this to be a harmful action and I would want to prevent it. Who commits the act makes no difference to me (or only for indirect reasons).