Page 5 - July 2015 Issue
P. 5
Or, worse yet, “eugenics” practiced in Nazism. Such mythology eventually gains a foothold in
communal mysticism, because most people don’t want
Some researchers look for maladaptive psychological to practice serious critical thinking. Like the arm chair
factors in the organic structure of the brain. To “investigator” they want it simple, easy to understand,
identify anti-social neurological explanations, a few and woefully deicient in factuality. Once an opinion
point to the “neuro-science” of criminality, in order has made its way into a news article, talk show or
to “why” people do bad things. If so, then what do publication, the inventive writer, or ilm maker, runs with
you do next, euthanasia? All too easily we jump to the notion. Often, they’re quick to accept questionable
hasty conclusions about the provability of human elucidations that sound good and proselytized by an
motivations to be found within the secrets of DNA. alleged “expert” somewhere on the planet.
Without much question, some theory laden ivory
tower “practitioners” rush to embrace the killing Many iction writers, with no professional experience
inclinations of multi-murderers in the mystical whatsoever in the criminal justice systems of the world,
instigations of some mysterious “crime gene”. leap to hasty generalizations. They hurriedly embrace
fanciful notions of one “silver bullet” theory or another.
A number of theoreticians in the expanse of Unfortunately, silver bullets only work on werewolves
pseudoscience desperately want to ind a one- in the movies. Meanwhile, wooden stakes through the
dimensional explanation, or “single factor” heart kill vampires, and zombies have to be shot in
ingredient. And yet, humans remain a curious the head. And yet, we like to think iction thoroughly
complexity of selish proclivities. Antisocial explains reality, which it doesn’t, it’s only entertainment.
intentions to violate the freedoms of other people From a seasoned investigative perspective, steeped in
remain layered within the depths of the perpetrator’s the rationality of real-world experiences and learned
privately premeditated self-interests. Egoistic maturity, one grows a cynical viewpoint of human
manifestations are unique to the individual and apply beings.
to all of us. The idea of a criminal “predisposition”
locked within the genetic code deies reliable With a healthy dose of skepticism built over time,
veriiability and common sense. There are no some investigators accept a conception that people are
deinitive research indings to support scientiically devolving instead of evolving. That is, as opposed to
any claim of precursor molecular explanations. ascension of humankind, with some notable exceptions,
the opposite is taking place. Part of that means, as
To describe a killer’s motivational impetus to kill, hope springs eternal; people will embrace the magical
as caused from a “genetic defect” or some other over the factual. A descent to a more primordial non-
neural abnormality, is overly crude conjecture, thinking uncritical existence appears to be willfully
lazy thinking and foolishly irresponsible to say the more acceptable. In terms of rationality, reasoning and
least. A criminal, particularly a killer, as all human logically deductive processes of thinking, many refute
beings, is rational, calculating and purposeful. It is and avoid provability by factual scrutiny.
investigative folly to think you can “proile” them
or identify a medial justiication for what they do to The human race is a curious artifact uniquely distinctive,
others. Curiously though, many continue to follow separate and alone from any other species on the
an atavistic conception of criminality but cloak the planet. What other life form enjoys killing for sport or
speculation with modern science. All too easily, entertainment purposes? What other species has a never
mystery writers especially, fall prey to the myriad ending hunger to consume more than it needs for basic
fallacies of inference about the so-called “serial survival necessities? It does not appear that another form
killer”. of life, other than mankind, has a desire to accumulate
for the sake of personal gain. Or, conduct oneself in
Non-practitioners, who have never investigated diverse unscrupulous ways for the sake of personal
violent criminality, promote myriad fallacies through amative satiation. For people, as far as what we know
inaccurate storytelling about murderers. about animals, humans possess an ininite capacity for
holding grudges, inlicting injuries out of anger, and
building a passion for revenge.
5
communal mysticism, because most people don’t want
Some researchers look for maladaptive psychological to practice serious critical thinking. Like the arm chair
factors in the organic structure of the brain. To “investigator” they want it simple, easy to understand,
identify anti-social neurological explanations, a few and woefully deicient in factuality. Once an opinion
point to the “neuro-science” of criminality, in order has made its way into a news article, talk show or
to “why” people do bad things. If so, then what do publication, the inventive writer, or ilm maker, runs with
you do next, euthanasia? All too easily we jump to the notion. Often, they’re quick to accept questionable
hasty conclusions about the provability of human elucidations that sound good and proselytized by an
motivations to be found within the secrets of DNA. alleged “expert” somewhere on the planet.
Without much question, some theory laden ivory
tower “practitioners” rush to embrace the killing Many iction writers, with no professional experience
inclinations of multi-murderers in the mystical whatsoever in the criminal justice systems of the world,
instigations of some mysterious “crime gene”. leap to hasty generalizations. They hurriedly embrace
fanciful notions of one “silver bullet” theory or another.
A number of theoreticians in the expanse of Unfortunately, silver bullets only work on werewolves
pseudoscience desperately want to ind a one- in the movies. Meanwhile, wooden stakes through the
dimensional explanation, or “single factor” heart kill vampires, and zombies have to be shot in
ingredient. And yet, humans remain a curious the head. And yet, we like to think iction thoroughly
complexity of selish proclivities. Antisocial explains reality, which it doesn’t, it’s only entertainment.
intentions to violate the freedoms of other people From a seasoned investigative perspective, steeped in
remain layered within the depths of the perpetrator’s the rationality of real-world experiences and learned
privately premeditated self-interests. Egoistic maturity, one grows a cynical viewpoint of human
manifestations are unique to the individual and apply beings.
to all of us. The idea of a criminal “predisposition”
locked within the genetic code deies reliable With a healthy dose of skepticism built over time,
veriiability and common sense. There are no some investigators accept a conception that people are
deinitive research indings to support scientiically devolving instead of evolving. That is, as opposed to
any claim of precursor molecular explanations. ascension of humankind, with some notable exceptions,
the opposite is taking place. Part of that means, as
To describe a killer’s motivational impetus to kill, hope springs eternal; people will embrace the magical
as caused from a “genetic defect” or some other over the factual. A descent to a more primordial non-
neural abnormality, is overly crude conjecture, thinking uncritical existence appears to be willfully
lazy thinking and foolishly irresponsible to say the more acceptable. In terms of rationality, reasoning and
least. A criminal, particularly a killer, as all human logically deductive processes of thinking, many refute
beings, is rational, calculating and purposeful. It is and avoid provability by factual scrutiny.
investigative folly to think you can “proile” them
or identify a medial justiication for what they do to The human race is a curious artifact uniquely distinctive,
others. Curiously though, many continue to follow separate and alone from any other species on the
an atavistic conception of criminality but cloak the planet. What other life form enjoys killing for sport or
speculation with modern science. All too easily, entertainment purposes? What other species has a never
mystery writers especially, fall prey to the myriad ending hunger to consume more than it needs for basic
fallacies of inference about the so-called “serial survival necessities? It does not appear that another form
killer”. of life, other than mankind, has a desire to accumulate
for the sake of personal gain. Or, conduct oneself in
Non-practitioners, who have never investigated diverse unscrupulous ways for the sake of personal
violent criminality, promote myriad fallacies through amative satiation. For people, as far as what we know
inaccurate storytelling about murderers. about animals, humans possess an ininite capacity for
holding grudges, inlicting injuries out of anger, and
building a passion for revenge.
5
