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Related Link » Brain Damage Prevents Moral Judgment Of Intent
“A very specific form of brain damage, to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPC), prevents people from morally condemning attempts at murder. [...] Subjects who had a damaged VMPC did not consider intent when formulating moral judgments. Only outcomes mattered. The obvious problem with this approach is that those with malicious intent will try again (of course, so will socialists who think their policies are beneficial - so intent isn't the only thing that matters). [...] ‘They can read about a murder attempt and judge it as morally permissible because no harm was done’.”
— By Randall Parker, April 02, 2010 (FuturePundit)

It seems to me that a damaged prefrontal cortex, possibly the so-called VMPC, may account, in some cases, for an irresistible inclination toward appeasement (presumably because a failed outcome is not necessarily imputed to faulty intent). What has heretofore been attributed to insanity (i.e., doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results), may, instead, be attributable to brain damage.

Perhaps an appropriate name for such a condition would be "Chamberlain's syndrome": This time it [e.g., appeasement, or even socialism] is going to work. If not, we can always try it again.

Damn the historical torpedoes; full speed ahead.

Post #1,188 Full Speed Ahead