I think there’s a difference between consequences and suffering (as written in the OP) though.
If a child plays too many videogames you might take away their switch, and while that might decrease their utility, I’d hardly describe it as suffering in any meaningful sense.
Similarly, in the real world, people generally get quite low utility from physical violence. It’s either an act of impulse not particularly sensitive to severity of punishment (like in people with anger management issues), or of very low utility. It’s therefore easy to imagine that the optimal level of punishment for crime might be a decrease in access to some goods, and seperation from broader society to decrease the probability of future impulsive acts harming anyone.
If a child plays too many videogames you might take away their switch, and while that might decrease their utility, I’d hardly describe it as suffering in any meaningful sense.
Not sure this is important to discuss, but I definitely would. If I remember correctly, this kind of thing had a pretty strong effect on me when I was small, probably worse than getting a moderate injury as an adult. I feel like it’s very easy to make a small kid suffer because they’re so emotionally defenseless and get so easily invested in random things.
I think there’s a difference between consequences and suffering (as written in the OP) though.
If a child plays too many videogames you might take away their switch, and while that might decrease their utility, I’d hardly describe it as suffering in any meaningful sense.
Similarly, in the real world, people generally get quite low utility from physical violence. It’s either an act of impulse not particularly sensitive to severity of punishment (like in people with anger management issues), or of very low utility. It’s therefore easy to imagine that the optimal level of punishment for crime might be a decrease in access to some goods, and seperation from broader society to decrease the probability of future impulsive acts harming anyone.
Not sure this is important to discuss, but I definitely would. If I remember correctly, this kind of thing had a pretty strong effect on me when I was small, probably worse than getting a moderate injury as an adult. I feel like it’s very easy to make a small kid suffer because they’re so emotionally defenseless and get so easily invested in random things.