Damasio's Theory

I will consider that presence of particular mental faculties as well as exposure to certain realms of experience need to be taken into account when determining if someone should be regarded as responsible for his or her actions. I will present an objection to this based on the common view discussed in class that mature adults should be held accountable and punished for their reactions; argue that such an objection is flawed due to the empirical data presented by Antonio Damasio and Susan Wolf.

Antonio Damasio’s research has speculated that damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex impairs an individual’s reasoning, decision- making and social behavioral skills.

One of the subjects that Damasio based his research on is Phineas Gage. Gage suffered an injury to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which had a grave impact on his ability to act with complete thought and reason.

Phineas Gage is an example of an individual who was once of sound mind but upon injury to...