Elizabeth Yardley and David Wilson
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326458
- eISBN:
- 9781447327639
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326458.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter introduces the topic of serial homicide, exploring the development of this academic field. Difficulties in defining ‘serial killing’ are considered in relation to the numerous ...
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This chapter introduces the topic of serial homicide, exploring the development of this academic field. Difficulties in defining ‘serial killing’ are considered in relation to the numerous definitions and different criteria upon which they draw. Thereafter the study of female serial killers is explored and the different types of approach to making sense of women who engage in such crimes are critically considered. Thereafter, the case of Mary Ann Cotton is introduced and contextualised within existing understandings of female serial killers – the chapter concludes that existing approaches are limited in the amount of light they are able to shed on this particular case.Less
This chapter introduces the topic of serial homicide, exploring the development of this academic field. Difficulties in defining ‘serial killing’ are considered in relation to the numerous definitions and different criteria upon which they draw. Thereafter the study of female serial killers is explored and the different types of approach to making sense of women who engage in such crimes are critically considered. Thereafter, the case of Mary Ann Cotton is introduced and contextualised within existing understandings of female serial killers – the chapter concludes that existing approaches are limited in the amount of light they are able to shed on this particular case.
Philip L. Simpson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604734539
- eISBN:
- 9781621031048
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604734539.003.0008
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter offers a critical overview of the serial killer film, especially in the light of the subgenre’s intense cultural significance during the 1980s and 1990s and its subsequent descent into ...
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This chapter offers a critical overview of the serial killer film, especially in the light of the subgenre’s intense cultural significance during the 1980s and 1990s and its subsequent descent into relative insignificance after 9/11. While pondering the larger questions of why and how horror film archetypes drift in and out of the culture’s focus of attention, it also demonstrates how the serial killer film, though often pronounced dead, has instead managed to spread throughout a field of cultural production much larger than that of a strictly defined and narrowly circumscribed cinematic genre. The chapter argues that the serial killer has even made a comeback with recent high-profile productions directed by auteurist filmmakers such as Spike Lee (Summer of Sam) and David Fincher (Zodiac).Less
This chapter offers a critical overview of the serial killer film, especially in the light of the subgenre’s intense cultural significance during the 1980s and 1990s and its subsequent descent into relative insignificance after 9/11. While pondering the larger questions of why and how horror film archetypes drift in and out of the culture’s focus of attention, it also demonstrates how the serial killer film, though often pronounced dead, has instead managed to spread throughout a field of cultural production much larger than that of a strictly defined and narrowly circumscribed cinematic genre. The chapter argues that the serial killer has even made a comeback with recent high-profile productions directed by auteurist filmmakers such as Spike Lee (Summer of Sam) and David Fincher (Zodiac).
Elizabeth Yardley and David Wilson
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781447326458
- eISBN:
- 9781447327639
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447326458.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
To date, approaches to understanding serial murder have focused on individual cases rather than the social context in which they occurred. This book marks a departure by situating nineteenth century ...
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To date, approaches to understanding serial murder have focused on individual cases rather than the social context in which they occurred. This book marks a departure by situating nineteenth century serial killer Mary Ann Cotton within the broader social structure. Using archival records of her court appearances, local histories and newspaper articles, it uniquely explores how institutions such as the family, economy and religion shaped the environment she inhabited and her social integration through the roles of wife, mother, worker and criminal. Acknowledging that it takes a particular type of individual to commit serial murder, the book shows that it also takes a particular type of society to enable that murderer to go unseen. As the first work to analyse serial murder through the theoretical framework of institutional criminology and institutional anomie theory, it will equip criminologists with a methodological toolkit for performing institutional analysis.Less
To date, approaches to understanding serial murder have focused on individual cases rather than the social context in which they occurred. This book marks a departure by situating nineteenth century serial killer Mary Ann Cotton within the broader social structure. Using archival records of her court appearances, local histories and newspaper articles, it uniquely explores how institutions such as the family, economy and religion shaped the environment she inhabited and her social integration through the roles of wife, mother, worker and criminal. Acknowledging that it takes a particular type of individual to commit serial murder, the book shows that it also takes a particular type of society to enable that murderer to go unseen. As the first work to analyse serial murder through the theoretical framework of institutional criminology and institutional anomie theory, it will equip criminologists with a methodological toolkit for performing institutional analysis.
Sorcha Ní Fhlainn
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781474401616
- eISBN:
- 9781474418553
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474401616.003.0011
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter situates the American gothic in post-1960 cinema and TV by exploring the distinctly American lineage of the modern serial killer. Landmark films chart seismic shifts in post-classical ...
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This chapter situates the American gothic in post-1960 cinema and TV by exploring the distinctly American lineage of the modern serial killer. Landmark films chart seismic shifts in post-classical American cinema after the success of Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1973) to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), American Psycho (2000), and Dexter (2006-13). This Drawing upon the influence of real/reel American serial killers (Ed Gein, Ted Bundy), this chapter argues that the serial killer embodies the counter-narrative American Dream: the consumerist and consumption-driven American nightmare.Less
This chapter situates the American gothic in post-1960 cinema and TV by exploring the distinctly American lineage of the modern serial killer. Landmark films chart seismic shifts in post-classical American cinema after the success of Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1973) to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), American Psycho (2000), and Dexter (2006-13). This Drawing upon the influence of real/reel American serial killers (Ed Gein, Ted Bundy), this chapter argues that the serial killer embodies the counter-narrative American Dream: the consumerist and consumption-driven American nightmare.
Lisa Downing
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226003405
- eISBN:
- 9780226003689
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226003689.003.0007
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
This chapter explores ways in which the available discourses of the exceptional murdering subject that have been sketched out so far in this book are a particularly problematic fit in the case of ...
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This chapter explores ways in which the available discourses of the exceptional murdering subject that have been sketched out so far in this book are a particularly problematic fit in the case of Aileen “Lee” Wuornos, a lesbian prostitute and victim of sexual abuse who killed seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. It is examined here how the label of “serial killer” was debated with regard to Wuornos, and how it was at times rejected, and at times adopted as a badge of agency and of selfhood by Wuornos herself who continually sought, like those around her, to make sense of herself through her crimes. Her discourse alternated between assertions that her killings were acts of self-defense and statements that interpret them as a proud bid for recognition via the evocation of the “cold-blooded” serial killer.Less
This chapter explores ways in which the available discourses of the exceptional murdering subject that have been sketched out so far in this book are a particularly problematic fit in the case of Aileen “Lee” Wuornos, a lesbian prostitute and victim of sexual abuse who killed seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. It is examined here how the label of “serial killer” was debated with regard to Wuornos, and how it was at times rejected, and at times adopted as a badge of agency and of selfhood by Wuornos herself who continually sought, like those around her, to make sense of herself through her crimes. Her discourse alternated between assertions that her killings were acts of self-defense and statements that interpret them as a proud bid for recognition via the evocation of the “cold-blooded” serial killer.
Linnie Blake
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719075933
- eISBN:
- 9781781700914
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719075933.003.0020
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter draws heavily on the misadventures of the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter, from Ridley Scott's film Hannibal. Reflecting the hunger of American audiences for the further ...
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This chapter draws heavily on the misadventures of the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter, from Ridley Scott's film Hannibal. Reflecting the hunger of American audiences for the further misadventures of Hannibal Lecter, took this film to a record-breaking $58,000,000 on its opening weekend in the United States. Such massive public interest in Lecter had of course begun with his appearance in Thomas Harris's best-selling novels Red Dragon (1981), The Silence of the Lambs (1988) and Hannibal (1999). This chapter further illustrates that the iconic Lecter's true significance lay in the ways he allowed contemporary audiences to engage psychologically and socio-culturally with the historic traumas of the Reagan years while exposing the ideological mediation of that trauma by all aspects of the culture industry. The violent murderer has been a recurrent figure in the mass cultural imagination of the United States since the earliest days of the republic. He has come to the forefront of the popular imagination at times of political, social or economic dislocation; and his outrageous deeds and fantasies have allowed for a timely re-examination of one of the core paradoxes of American social life.Less
This chapter draws heavily on the misadventures of the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter, from Ridley Scott's film Hannibal. Reflecting the hunger of American audiences for the further misadventures of Hannibal Lecter, took this film to a record-breaking $58,000,000 on its opening weekend in the United States. Such massive public interest in Lecter had of course begun with his appearance in Thomas Harris's best-selling novels Red Dragon (1981), The Silence of the Lambs (1988) and Hannibal (1999). This chapter further illustrates that the iconic Lecter's true significance lay in the ways he allowed contemporary audiences to engage psychologically and socio-culturally with the historic traumas of the Reagan years while exposing the ideological mediation of that trauma by all aspects of the culture industry. The violent murderer has been a recurrent figure in the mass cultural imagination of the United States since the earliest days of the republic. He has come to the forefront of the popular imagination at times of political, social or economic dislocation; and his outrageous deeds and fantasies have allowed for a timely re-examination of one of the core paradoxes of American social life.
Joel Feinberg
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195155266
- eISBN:
- 9780199833177
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195155262.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Although people are understandably disturbed by the idea of pure evil, they are mistaken to replace it with ideas about sickness and cure. The language family associated with pure evil, or sheer ...
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Although people are understandably disturbed by the idea of pure evil, they are mistaken to replace it with ideas about sickness and cure. The language family associated with pure evil, or sheer wickedness, focuses not on the sick human being, but on the rationally functioning nonhuman being: the superhuman or the subhuman who has little choice but to be wicked. Even so, wickedness and mental illness (or sick! sick! sickness) have a tendency to fuse at their extreme points. This chapter considers the interrelation between sickness and wickedness as it applies to, among other things, serial killers, medical and nonmedical conceptions of sickness, personality disorders (or ‘personal’ disorders), and the relation between moral blameworthiness and mental illness.Less
Although people are understandably disturbed by the idea of pure evil, they are mistaken to replace it with ideas about sickness and cure. The language family associated with pure evil, or sheer wickedness, focuses not on the sick human being, but on the rationally functioning nonhuman being: the superhuman or the subhuman who has little choice but to be wicked. Even so, wickedness and mental illness (or sick! sick! sickness) have a tendency to fuse at their extreme points. This chapter considers the interrelation between sickness and wickedness as it applies to, among other things, serial killers, medical and nonmedical conceptions of sickness, personality disorders (or ‘personal’ disorders), and the relation between moral blameworthiness and mental illness.
R. Emerson Dobash and Russell P. Dobash
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199914784
- eISBN:
- 9780190225469
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199914784.003.0005
- Subject:
- Social Work, Crime and Justice, Children and Families
This chapter focuses on research evidence, and problems associated with the conceptualization of sexual murder. The historical and contemporary focus on serial murder has had a disproportionate ...
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This chapter focuses on research evidence, and problems associated with the conceptualization of sexual murder. The historical and contemporary focus on serial murder has had a disproportionate influence on research on sexual murder and here we focus on the vast majority of sexual murders that do not involve serial killings. Evidence regarding the national prevalence of sexual murder of women is reviewed along with issues of definitions, lifecourse of offenders, comparisons of rapists and sexual murderers, personality problems and psychological profiles, media coverage, murder of sex workers, the nature of the relationship between perpetrators and their victims as well as the contexts and circumstances of sexual murders.Less
This chapter focuses on research evidence, and problems associated with the conceptualization of sexual murder. The historical and contemporary focus on serial murder has had a disproportionate influence on research on sexual murder and here we focus on the vast majority of sexual murders that do not involve serial killings. Evidence regarding the national prevalence of sexual murder of women is reviewed along with issues of definitions, lifecourse of offenders, comparisons of rapists and sexual murderers, personality problems and psychological profiles, media coverage, murder of sex workers, the nature of the relationship between perpetrators and their victims as well as the contexts and circumstances of sexual murders.
Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780748692606
- eISBN:
- 9781474444651
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748692606.003.0004
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter examines Chabrol’s fascination with ‘human beasts’ or ‘monsters’ through the following (overlapping) motifs: the serial killer, the automaton and the female killer. Through detailed film ...
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This chapter examines Chabrol’s fascination with ‘human beasts’ or ‘monsters’ through the following (overlapping) motifs: the serial killer, the automaton and the female killer. Through detailed film analysis and close attention to techniques, it shows how Chabrol uses these figures to rethink the boundaries and concepts of normality. Although he often provides a detailed social and ideological framework within which to problematize the human beast, class and gender are misleading keys and causality is ultimately blurred to the point of opacity. The closer one gets to the monster (sometimes literally, through the use of close-up shots), the less one understands it. Case studies of the following films illuminate how Chabrol explores film grammar to convey the complexities of human nature and the fragmented, opaque nature of evil: Le Boucher; Landru; Les Fantômes du chapelier; Violette Nozière; La Demoiselle d’honneur; Blood Relatives.Less
This chapter examines Chabrol’s fascination with ‘human beasts’ or ‘monsters’ through the following (overlapping) motifs: the serial killer, the automaton and the female killer. Through detailed film analysis and close attention to techniques, it shows how Chabrol uses these figures to rethink the boundaries and concepts of normality. Although he often provides a detailed social and ideological framework within which to problematize the human beast, class and gender are misleading keys and causality is ultimately blurred to the point of opacity. The closer one gets to the monster (sometimes literally, through the use of close-up shots), the less one understands it. Case studies of the following films illuminate how Chabrol explores film grammar to convey the complexities of human nature and the fragmented, opaque nature of evil: Le Boucher; Landru; Les Fantômes du chapelier; Violette Nozière; La Demoiselle d’honneur; Blood Relatives.
Miguel Sicart
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262012652
- eISBN:
- 9780262255134
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262012652.001.0001
- Subject:
- Computer Science, Game Studies
Despite the emergence of computer games as a dominant cultural industry (and the accompanying emergence of computer games as the subject of scholarly research), we know little or nothing about the ...
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Despite the emergence of computer games as a dominant cultural industry (and the accompanying emergence of computer games as the subject of scholarly research), we know little or nothing about the ethics of computer games. Considerations of the morality of computer games seldom go beyond intermittent portrayals of them in the mass media as training devices for teenage serial killers. This exploration of the subject addresses broader issues about the ethics of games, the ethics of playing the games, and the ethical responsibilities of game designers. It argues that computer games are ethical objects, that computer game players are ethical agents, and that the ethics of computer games should be seen as a complex network of responsibilities and moral duties. Players should not be considered passive amoral creatures; they reflect, relate, and create with ethical minds. The games they play are ethical systems, with rules that create gameworlds with values at play. Drawing on concepts from philosophy and game studies, the book proposes a framework for analyzing the ethics of computer games as both designed objects and player experiences. After presentin core theoretical arguments and offering a general theory for understanding computer game ethics, the book offers case studies examining single-player games (using Bioshock as an example), multiplayer games (illustrated by Defcon), and online gameworlds (illustrated by World of Warcraft) from an ethical perspective. It explores issues raised by unethical content in computer games and its possible effect on players.Less
Despite the emergence of computer games as a dominant cultural industry (and the accompanying emergence of computer games as the subject of scholarly research), we know little or nothing about the ethics of computer games. Considerations of the morality of computer games seldom go beyond intermittent portrayals of them in the mass media as training devices for teenage serial killers. This exploration of the subject addresses broader issues about the ethics of games, the ethics of playing the games, and the ethical responsibilities of game designers. It argues that computer games are ethical objects, that computer game players are ethical agents, and that the ethics of computer games should be seen as a complex network of responsibilities and moral duties. Players should not be considered passive amoral creatures; they reflect, relate, and create with ethical minds. The games they play are ethical systems, with rules that create gameworlds with values at play. Drawing on concepts from philosophy and game studies, the book proposes a framework for analyzing the ethics of computer games as both designed objects and player experiences. After presentin core theoretical arguments and offering a general theory for understanding computer game ethics, the book offers case studies examining single-player games (using Bioshock as an example), multiplayer games (illustrated by Defcon), and online gameworlds (illustrated by World of Warcraft) from an ethical perspective. It explores issues raised by unethical content in computer games and its possible effect on players.
Martin Francis
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199277483
- eISBN:
- 9780191699948
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199277483.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, Cultural History
This chapter is dedicated to broken flyers (those disabled or disfigured in combat), flawed flyers (those with psychological problems), and false flyers (men who passed themselves off as airmen to ...
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This chapter is dedicated to broken flyers (those disabled or disfigured in combat), flawed flyers (those with psychological problems), and false flyers (men who passed themselves off as airmen to facilitate their nefarious purposes, as spies or sexual predators). In contrast to the image of the carefree, debonair flyer which had so captivated the public, it deals with darker imaginings of the men in blue, whether real or fictionalized. It presents the badly burnt airman William Simpson, who is spurned by his wife at first sight of his grotesquely misshapen face; the emotionally stunted ex-fighter pilot Freddie Page in Terence Rattigan's play The Deep Blue Sea; and Neville Heath, the sadistic serial killer who passed himself off as a dashing wartime group captain.Less
This chapter is dedicated to broken flyers (those disabled or disfigured in combat), flawed flyers (those with psychological problems), and false flyers (men who passed themselves off as airmen to facilitate their nefarious purposes, as spies or sexual predators). In contrast to the image of the carefree, debonair flyer which had so captivated the public, it deals with darker imaginings of the men in blue, whether real or fictionalized. It presents the badly burnt airman William Simpson, who is spurned by his wife at first sight of his grotesquely misshapen face; the emotionally stunted ex-fighter pilot Freddie Page in Terence Rattigan's play The Deep Blue Sea; and Neville Heath, the sadistic serial killer who passed himself off as a dashing wartime group captain.
Casie E. Hermansson
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732306
- eISBN:
- 9781604733532
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732306.003.0002
- Subject:
- Literature, Folk Literature
In Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, Bluebeard was never a pirate. Yet he is always linked to piracy, particularly to Blackbeard, Captain Edward Teach of Bristol. Captain Charles Johnson published an ...
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In Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, Bluebeard was never a pirate. Yet he is always linked to piracy, particularly to Blackbeard, Captain Edward Teach of Bristol. Captain Charles Johnson published an account of Blackbeard, A General History of the Pirates, in 1724. Another possible cause for the confusion between Bluebeard and Blackbeard is the fact that Teach had multiple marriages: he married his fourteenth bride, believed to be Mary Ormond, a sixteen-year-old planter’s daughter. Robert Lee also wrote a biography of Blackbeard, claiming that he was a victim of the women he could not resist. In addition to his wives, Blackbeard and other pirates are believed to have hidden treasure, making their stories conducive to intertextual connection with Bluebeard, who did not want his wife to examine his affairs too closely. This chapter examines Bluebeard’s connection to pirates and looks at a number of serial killers who were labeled in the contemporary media as “Bluebeard” or “lady Bluebeard.”Less
In Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, Bluebeard was never a pirate. Yet he is always linked to piracy, particularly to Blackbeard, Captain Edward Teach of Bristol. Captain Charles Johnson published an account of Blackbeard, A General History of the Pirates, in 1724. Another possible cause for the confusion between Bluebeard and Blackbeard is the fact that Teach had multiple marriages: he married his fourteenth bride, believed to be Mary Ormond, a sixteen-year-old planter’s daughter. Robert Lee also wrote a biography of Blackbeard, claiming that he was a victim of the women he could not resist. In addition to his wives, Blackbeard and other pirates are believed to have hidden treasure, making their stories conducive to intertextual connection with Bluebeard, who did not want his wife to examine his affairs too closely. This chapter examines Bluebeard’s connection to pirates and looks at a number of serial killers who were labeled in the contemporary media as “Bluebeard” or “lady Bluebeard.”
James C. Oleson
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520282414
- eISBN:
- 9780520958098
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520282414.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
Criminologists estimate the true volume of crime—the “dark figure”—to be approximately four times the size of crime reported in official statistics. Most crime goes unrecorded, and criminologists ...
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Criminologists estimate the true volume of crime—the “dark figure”—to be approximately four times the size of crime reported in official statistics. Most crime goes unrecorded, and criminologists know far more about the criminal behavior of the poor, uneducated, and young than they do about the crimes of the wealthy, educated, and powerful. Although the criminal genius is a cherished villain in history (e.g., Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, Theodore Kaczynski, and Caryl Chessman), literature (e.g., Raskolnikov, Professor Moriarty, and John Galt), and film (e.g., Hannibal Lecter, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Dr. Mabuse, and Ozymandias), little is actually known about the crimes of those possessing above-average IQ.Less
Criminologists estimate the true volume of crime—the “dark figure”—to be approximately four times the size of crime reported in official statistics. Most crime goes unrecorded, and criminologists know far more about the criminal behavior of the poor, uneducated, and young than they do about the crimes of the wealthy, educated, and powerful. Although the criminal genius is a cherished villain in history (e.g., Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, Theodore Kaczynski, and Caryl Chessman), literature (e.g., Raskolnikov, Professor Moriarty, and John Galt), and film (e.g., Hannibal Lecter, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Dr. Mabuse, and Ozymandias), little is actually known about the crimes of those possessing above-average IQ.
Luke Russell
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198712480
- eISBN:
- 9780191780790
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198712480.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter asks how and to what extent the concept of evil can be used in explanations of actions. Cole and Baron-Cohen have argued that the claim “He did it because he was evil” is vacuous or ...
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This chapter asks how and to what extent the concept of evil can be used in explanations of actions. Cole and Baron-Cohen have argued that the claim “He did it because he was evil” is vacuous or pseudo-explanatory. Yet the concept of evil action and the concept of evil personhood have important roles to play in our explanations of some actions, although they are limited roles, and evil does not provide a complete explanation for any action. Contrary to Cole's claims, we have reason to believe that there really are some evil persons, who are not only strongly disposed to perform the worst kind of wrong actions, but are beyond redemption, for practical purposes, and should be treated as write-offs.Less
This chapter asks how and to what extent the concept of evil can be used in explanations of actions. Cole and Baron-Cohen have argued that the claim “He did it because he was evil” is vacuous or pseudo-explanatory. Yet the concept of evil action and the concept of evil personhood have important roles to play in our explanations of some actions, although they are limited roles, and evil does not provide a complete explanation for any action. Contrary to Cole's claims, we have reason to believe that there really are some evil persons, who are not only strongly disposed to perform the worst kind of wrong actions, but are beyond redemption, for practical purposes, and should be treated as write-offs.
James C. Oleson
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520282414
- eISBN:
- 9780520958098
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520282414.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This chapter describes the qualitative analyses derived from the forty-four follow-up interviews. It relays the life history of “Faulkner,” a drug trafficker with a 162 IQ who claims to have killed ...
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This chapter describes the qualitative analyses derived from the forty-four follow-up interviews. It relays the life history of “Faulkner,” a drug trafficker with a 162 IQ who claims to have killed fifteen people. The chapter also describes the analysis of qualitative materials in light of Travis Hirschi’s theory of social bonds, noting that the interviews were consistent with explanations of crime based upon weakened social bonds (including elements of attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief). The chapter asks whether high IQ is always a protective factor or whether, at some levels and under some circumstances, it might operate as a criminogenic risk factor.Less
This chapter describes the qualitative analyses derived from the forty-four follow-up interviews. It relays the life history of “Faulkner,” a drug trafficker with a 162 IQ who claims to have killed fifteen people. The chapter also describes the analysis of qualitative materials in light of Travis Hirschi’s theory of social bonds, noting that the interviews were consistent with explanations of crime based upon weakened social bonds (including elements of attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief). The chapter asks whether high IQ is always a protective factor or whether, at some levels and under some circumstances, it might operate as a criminogenic risk factor.
Andrew Chignell
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780199915453
- eISBN:
- 9780190248383
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199915453.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This introductory chapter considers at some of the main ways in which the concept of evil has been applied and analyzed. It also considers related arguments for and against the idea that “evil” is ...
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This introductory chapter considers at some of the main ways in which the concept of evil has been applied and analyzed. It also considers related arguments for and against the idea that “evil” is still a useful concept in a contemporary context. There are three main camps on the latter issue: those who think that “evil” should be replaced by more tractable, anodyne concepts like “trauma” or “disutility”; those who think that using “evil” helps us take seriously (and assign blame for) particularly heinous acts; and those who think it has a non-human or supersensible referent. The chapter goes on to raise some of the main ontological, epistemological, and psychological questions about evil before concluding with an overview of the rest of the volume.Less
This introductory chapter considers at some of the main ways in which the concept of evil has been applied and analyzed. It also considers related arguments for and against the idea that “evil” is still a useful concept in a contemporary context. There are three main camps on the latter issue: those who think that “evil” should be replaced by more tractable, anodyne concepts like “trauma” or “disutility”; those who think that using “evil” helps us take seriously (and assign blame for) particularly heinous acts; and those who think it has a non-human or supersensible referent. The chapter goes on to raise some of the main ontological, epistemological, and psychological questions about evil before concluding with an overview of the rest of the volume.
