Page |98 precedent found in courts around the than when in the presence of their world dating back to the Middle Ages. relatively more mindful spouse”. In times past and cultures in which Finally, other minds matter people did not so naturally restrict ‘ : ; we because mindful agents become moral intentional capacities to other humans, a; . . agents worthy of care and compassion’. animals (such as rats) and objects (such ‘af : 7 . The principle of autonomy captures this as “possessed” statues) were common . . , 4617 most basic of human rights—that targets of criminal prosecution’””’. . ; because all people have the same Increasing the extent to which other - ‘ : . . minimal capacity to suffer, deliberate, agents seem mindful also increases the : . . and choose, no person can compromise praise or blame that they receive for : . . ee, the body, life, or freedom of another their actions. And even diminishing the . . ; . person. Agents with mindful extent to which people feel in mindful . . : . experience, the capacity to suffer, control of their own behavior (e.g., by . .. ; ons . deliberate, and choose, become those undermining people’s belief in free will), . that evoke empathy and concern for well leads people to behave in ways that are bei : ; ; aids: eing, whereas agents without mindful consistent with diminished self-control . . . experience can be treated simply as (such as by cheating on an exam when : . tempted to d 3 mindless objects. From debates about enipied To a6 $6). abortion to animal rights to euthanasia, Second, other minds are capable the mindful experience of the agents in of thinking, and may therefore be question is often either the explicit or thinking about you. Being under implicit focus of debate. Making scrutiny by mindful agents has two basic invisible minds visible, and hence more effects on human behavior. One is that like one’s own, enables people to more mindful agents become sources of social readily follow the most famous of all influ