Criminological Theory
Assessing Philosophical Assumptions
- 1st Edition - August 5, 2013
- Imprint: Anderson
- Author: Anthony Walsh
- Language: English
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 1 - 4 5 5 7 - 7 5 4 7 - 7
Criminologists can benefit from questioning the underlying assumptions upon which they rest their work. Philosophy has the ability to clarify our thoughts, inform us of why we th… Read more
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Request a sales quoteCriminologists can benefit from questioning the underlying assumptions upon which they rest their work. Philosophy has the ability to clarify our thoughts, inform us of why we think about things the way we do, solve contradictions in our thinking we never knew existed, and even dissolve some dichotomies we thought were cast in stone. One of those dichotomies is free will vs. determinism. Criminology must reckon with both free will and agency, as posited by some theories, and determinism, as posited by others—including the ever more influential fields of genetics and biosocial criminology.
Criminological Theory: Assessing Philosophical Assumptions examines philosophical concepts such as these in the context of important criminological theories or issues that are foundational but not generally considered in the literature on this topic. The uniqueness of this treatment of criminological theory is that rather than reporting what this person or that has said about a particular theory, Walsh exposes the philosophical assumptions underlying the theory. Students and scholars learn to clarify their own biases and better analyze the implications of a broad range of theories of crime and justice.
- Offers a fruitful perspective on theories of criminology
- Covers a wide range of philosophical concepts that are relevant to each major criminological theory
- Challenges scholars and advanced students to think deeply about criminal behavior and its causes
Researchers and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in criminology programs.
Chapter 1: The Usefulness of Philosophy in Criminology
Chapter 2: Social Constructionism Versus Science in Criminology
Chapter 3: Relativism, Rationalism, Empiricism, and Paradigm Shifts
Chapter 4: Essentialism and Reductionism: Enemies or Friends?
Chapter 5: What is Real and How Do We Know?
Chapter 6: Materialism and Idealism: Structure versus Culture
Chapter 7: Conflict and Cooperation; Alienation and Equality
Chapter 8: Rationality and Emotion
Chapter 9: Right and Wrong: Conscience
Chapter 10: The Science Wars and Ideology in Criminology
Chapter 11: Ideology and Causation
Chapter 12: The Philosophy and Science of Human Nature
Chapter 13: Feminist Criminology and Contending Metaphysics
Chapter 14: Origins of the Intuition of Justice
Chapter 15: Punishment: Justifications and its Role in the Evolution of Justice
- Edition: 1
- Published: August 5, 2013
- Imprint: Anderson
- Language: English
- eBook ISBN: 9781455775477
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Anthony Walsh
Anthony Walsh received his Ph.D. in criminology from Bowling Green State University in 1983. He worked as a marine, merchant seaman, police officer, and probation officer before entering academia at the age of 44. He teaches criminology, statistics, philosophy of law, and correctional assessment and case management at Boise State University. He is widely published, having authored or coauthored 33 books and more than 100 articles on criminology and biosocial aspects of crime.
Affiliations and expertise
Boise State University