R T U New York State Center of

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences Discovery Seminar 175555/UE 141 M – Fall 2008 Solving Crimes using Referent Tracking The deadly (? ) injection September 3, 2008 Werner CEUSTERS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences Ontology Research Group University at Buffalo, NY, USA

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences Homework of last week • Scenario: – John is a medical doctor who on August 1, 2008 gave Jane a Penicillin injection to treat her pneumonia. John didn’t know that Jane is allergic to Penicillin. As a consequence, Jane, according to medical science, would die for sure between August 3 and August 7, 2008, and as such thus being killed by John. But, on her way home from the doctor, on August 1, she is struck by a car, and dies from her injuries on the spot. • Questions to answer: – Did John kill her ? Is he liable ? • Send me answer by email (ceusters@buffalo. edu) not later than Sept 1, 2008, 10 PM. – Answers should include reference to or citations from any source or document that you used to formulate an answer

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences Answers Stud. Killer (1) Liable (2) S 1 No No Only liable and killer if Jane would have died from the injection. S 2 Yes (1) (2) S 3 No No Only liable and killer if Jane would have died from the injection. S 4 Phps Yes (1) Motivation (2) Events at a later time cannot alter/undo earlier events. Failed to inform himself sufficiently Only if the accident was caused by side-effects of the injection or if John set up the accident to avoid her death being caused by the injection. She would die ‘under normal circumstances’ S 5 - No (2) John did what he could do, his ‘best’. S 6 No - (1) Only ‘killer’ if she would have died from the injection S 7 - Phps (2) S 8 - No (2) Only liable if Jane would have died from the injection. S 9 No No (1) ‘The only death John is responsible for is the one in which Jane dies from the penicillin allergy’ S 10 Phps Yes if the dr. was driving the car, or did not act appropriately after coming to know about the allergy. Only liable if there would be a relationship between the injection and the car accident

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences Scenario analysis (without accident) time Jane’s living Jane visiting John injecting Jane’s pathological body reactions Jane’s going home Expected scenario

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences Scenario analysis (with accident) time Jane’s living Jane visiting John injecting Jane’s pathological body reactions Jane’s going home Actual scenario

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences Compare time Jane’s living Jane visiting John injecting Jane’s pathological body reactions Jane’s going home actual expected

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences Where should we draw the box ‘John’s killing of Jane’ ? time (if there was a ‘killing’) Jane’s living Jane visiting John injecting Jane’s pathological body reactions Jane’s going home actual expected

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences A variant (true story) • On September 9 th, 1935, Carl Austin Weiss shot Senator Huey Long in the Louisiana State Capitol with a. 35 calibre pistol. Long died from this wound thirty hours later on September 10 th. Weiss, on the other hand, received between thirty-two and sixty. 44 and. 45 calibre hollow point bullets from Long's agitated bodyguards and died immediately. Sorensen, R. , 1985, "Self-Deception and Scattered Events", Mind, 94: 64 -69. • Questions: – Did Weiss kill Senator Long ? – If so, when did he kill him ?

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences When did the killing happen ? time Carl Weiss’ living Weiss’ shooting of Long Bodyguards’shooting of Weiss Long’s pathological body reactions Weiss’s path. body reactions Senator Long’s living

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences When did the killing happen ? time Carl Weiss’ living Weiss’ shooting of Long Bodyguards’shooting of Weiss Long’s pathological body reactions ? Weiss’s path. body reactions Senator Long’s living Then Long was killed before he was dead.

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences When did the killing happen ? time Carl Weiss’ living Weiss’ shooting of Long Bodyguards’shooting of Weiss Long’s pathological body reactions Weiss’s path. body reactions Senator Long’s living Then Weiss killed Long while he was dead. ?

R T U New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences Homework • How to solve this puzzle ? • Hint: • Send me answer by email (ceusters@buffalo. edu) not later than Sept 8, 2008, 10 PM. – Answers should include reference to or citations from any source or document that you used to formulate an answer