¶ … Classics of Criminology edited by Joseph Jacoby is a collection of documents and essays by expert criminologists. Rather than present the different theories and histories of crime and the formulation of law, Jacoby includes the original writings by the men and women who created them. For example, instead of a summarized account of Jeremy Bentham's "An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation," the entirety of that text is presented in the book. The thesis of the compilation is that "if students read only about and not in criminology, their experience is but secondhand, and their conclusions are determined by textbook authors" (Jacoby 2004). This is why Jacoby does not include his own positions on the essays in the book. He wishes for every reader to view the original documents and formulate their own opinions about what they have read and now understand. There were several interesting and education essays in the collection, each one providing the reader with the author's first-person experiences and his or her own theoretical approaches to crime and the solving of crimes.
One particularly interesting article featured in the book was Jeremy Bentham's "An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation." This piece illustrates how some of the initial laws are based upon moral conditions. Laws, even today, are made based upon what is considered morally right or morally wrong as exemplified by the fact that some of the very basic laws of any land are based upon the religious principles of the majority. Bentham wrote "The business of government is to promote the happiness of the society" and that "The general tendency of an act is more or less pernicious, according to the sum total of its consequences: that is, according to the difference between the sum of such as are good, and the sum of such as are evil" (1781). Good and evil, of course, are subjective terms that are determined by the moral majority that governs a given society. What one group says is good and what another believes can be two entirely different concepts. A government is solely concerned with what their individual society believes to be the moral right. "Thou shalt not kill" is one of the Ten...
Doubtful that anyone would disagree with this statement, but there are subjects which are more contentious and bring up often violent debates. In the United States, it used to be illegal to have abortions, but after the determination of Roe v. Wade, the procedures are currently legal. People on both sides of this debate are vehement that they are in the right and that the law should agree with them. Those who are pro-choice, site the law as being on their side and give this as evidence that the ability to choose is a person's legal as well as moral right. Those on the pro-life side of the equation, believe that abortion is a form of murder and contend that the government has made an immoral choice in making abortion legal in the country.
Rather than hypothesize how laws are made, many of the authors in the text discussed why people turn to crime. In the article "Crime and Deviance over the Life Course: The Salience of Adult Social Bonds," author Robert Sampson (2004), discusses his theory about how juvenile delinquents function. He examined two boys and tested his hypothesis that antisocial behavior in childhood can be a signal that the subject will have problems in adulthood in various areas of their life, including with relation to potential criminal activity. Sampson and his associates then state that social bonds during a person's adulthood will indicate changes in their behavior, both positive and negative. What the researchers have determine through their experimentation is that interaction with people will be a major factor in whether or not a person pursues criminal behavior or if he or she remains law-abiding. As much as external forces can influence a person into committing crimes, Sampson also believes that external forces can influence a criminal into retirement from that lifestyle. Theirs is a sociogenic theory…
Durkheim's Study Of Suicide In Emile Durkheim's (1997) book Suicide, he discusses both the causes of and the reasons for suicide. He also addresses the components of different sociological theories that show that what comes from within a person matters equally with their outside environment when it comes to the issues they face during their lives. Strong evidence is provides that peer pressure and the lack of a strong system of
From the above description, it is clear that mechanical solidarity unites members of a society through personal bonds or social cohesion, which was particular to pre-industrial societies. This mechanical solidarity occurred, when all members of a society performed the same or nearly the same tasks as all others in a society. On the other hand, in the organic solidarity, as societies begin to modernize, they begin to industrialize and labor
This argument brings Durkheim's theory into modern society. Durkheim's Suicide Theory made a lot of sense in the early 1900s. Over the years, many changes in society have occurred, making some of his work appear outdated. However, Pescosolido's and Georgianna's "network" theory expands Durkheim's theory for modern times. Durkheim expected the circumstances of his argument to change, so it makes sense that modern sociologists should revisit and reapply his theory.
Emile Durkheim on Social Solidarity Durkheim is considered the first French academic sociologist and a significant part of the life of this philosopher was surrounded by his work and writing though he also participated a lot in the affairs of the French as a society. Though a respectable academic, he was still faced with various obstacles among them being the resistance and opposition from his colleagues as scholar who represented a
Instead of losing its importance, sociology of religion should become more essential for study in sociology curriculum. It should be more than the anthropology and theology students who are asking such questions as, "What is the future of religion in society? Despite the growing complexity of society and the increase in stress and related emotional problems, why is there a decrease in formal religion attendance? Does modernity secularize as Durkheim
Emile Durkheim Sociology is an extremely important field of study that has dramatically changed the world in which we live. Emile Durkheim has played a major role in shaping sociology and its theories. The purpose of this discussion is to provide an overview of the theorist and his work. The discussion will focus on the work and an evaluation of the validity of the theory. The Theorist book entitled Emile Durkheim, 1858-1917:
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now