Michael Shermer presents a synopsis of a book by University of Pennsylvania criminologist and psychiatrist Adrian Raine, who attempts to answer questions about what makes a criminal mind and related questions in his book The Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime. The link to the Scientific American essay can be found at:
Searching for the True Sources of Crime, Where neuroscience meets criminology: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/searching-for-true-sources-crime/
This article makes me question if our criminal justice system acts in our society's best interests. Related questions include the meaning of free will when physical trauma to the brain can make someone a criminal; the morality of taking preventative measures if someone is determined to be likely to commit a crime; and, if science can be used as a tool to define morality.
All are encouraged to share links to resources that shed light on these issues. Use the "comments" link below to do so.
The purpose of this blog is to provide a forum for discussing interesting topics. The blog started as a way for members of a Pullman, WA book club to post resources prior to meetings as well as a forum to post further thoughts after meetings. We discourage ideology, personal attacks and offensive comments. Posts that do not meet the standards of civility will be removed.