[goldstategop]

Some people like Charles Whitman in the 60s went on a murder spree as a result of a brain tumor. One can make a case that in exceptional circumstances, a pre-existing disease can absolve one of knowing the difference between right and wrong. On the other hand, most murderers are sane and do know the moral rules in question but simply disregard the rights of others to get what they want. If its a physical condition, the determination about one's moral capacity is easy enough to make. The real controversy is over a mental condition and that's where it gets controversial.

[garbanzo]

If its a physical condition, the determination about one's moral capacity is easy enough to make. The real controversy is over a mental condition and that's where it gets controversial.

Well in neurology the distinction between a mental and physical state is becoming ever more blurred as we find out more about genetics and brain structure and environmental interactions between the two.