> Have a special-purpose machine that scans your mind and gives as output
> a binary answer to whether you are responsible or not. Then the memory
> of this machine is automatically erased and only the output remains.
In addition to the 5th Amendment (Michael Lorrey) and personal or
religious reasons (Hal Finney), which are both good arguments against
such a machine, there is always the danger of fraud. You will not
have the certainty that the state (or a corrupt employee) does not
use the information gathered in the mind scan against you. Even if
the state wouldn't do it, perhaps the firm which created the scanning
machine left a trap door in it so they could sell mind scans.
Please keep in mind that a mind scan includes your whole personality,
preferences and memory. I would certainly not want my mind scan to be
stolen.
-- Martin H. Pelet <tbm@cyrius.com>