Continuing the topic of mind control this week (see what if books could control your mind), here’s another question for you… If you could control the minds of people around you, would you? What might you do?
What could you achieve with mind control?
Would you use mind control for your own personal gain or to help others? One might make you a villain, the other a hero.
Even if your aim is to help someone else, what about their free will and the ethics of using mind control.
Free will
We like to think we have complete freedom of choice, to make our own decisions and shape our own destinies. And if someone else is controlling or influencing us, then our free will is diminished. Living in a world where we are fortunate to have freedom, being controlled is an uncomfortable thought. What right does anyone have to make our decisions for us, or influence those?
And yet, there are existing influences around us that unconsciously shape our decisions. The people close to us, the environment around us, the news, media, advertising and more. What we see and hear seed thoughts and help shape beliefs that may influence our own future actions, without us being fully aware.
How core values affect mind control
If we saw that someone was being controlled and their actions influenced, what reaction might that prompt in us? Would we want to try to help in some way, would we treat them as ‘not my circus’, or would we want to jump in and take advantage of the situation?
Whichever choice you lean to, that speaks to your underlying core values. I believe that our values would drive our feelings and actions in these matters. There may be conflicts there, as Detective Wheeler had to navigate, but ultimately our values will help shape what we do.
The ethics of mind control
Ultimately, over and above our own values, the ethics of mind control are key.
It’s easy to dismiss the ‘bad’ of mind control and say that if it reduces someone’s freedom, then it shouldn’t happen. I think we can probably agree that if the mind control is not for someone’s greater good, then it shouldn’t be used. But what if it could be used for good?
If it could help someone recover from an illness or trauma, or help a convicted criminal reform, would that be an acceptable use of mind control? Perhaps yes, if that person freely consents.
If mind control is forced upon someone, then that further diminishes their freedom. However, if it is freely agreed to and for a specific purpose only, then that removes some of the concern. The scope or ‘specific purpose’ agreed to is also key. Privacy is an important consideration here too, and so any mind control should be constrained to that purpose and associated information.
Wrapping up
It’s a deep topic. If you had the power to control someone’s mind, the answer is complicated.
Aside from your own values and whether you thought you might be acting for someone else’s greater good, there’s their free will and ethics to consider. It’s a topic I touch on in book 1 The Battle for the Peacekeepers, when Yas has to make a decision in battle. (I can’t say more as it will plot spoil, you’ll have to read it for yourself.
To learn more about how mind control in the Word Guardians series, click the button below to view the books in your usual Amazon store (available in paperback and kindle editions). Buy book 1 today, read how mind control is used by the Controllers and how Yas handles the same challenge in the Battle for the Peacekeepers.
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