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Because “crimes” are sociological constructs of a culture. The same lack of critical analysis behind your question was also missing in the responses to Lombros

Because “crimes” are sociological constructs of a culture. The same lack of critical analysis behind your question was also missing in the responses to Lombroso’s work in the late 19th century[1], essentializing and legitimating phrenology. [1] https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/the-born-criminal-lombroso-and-the-origins-of-modern-criminology/ https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/the-born-crimi...

ltbarcly3 7y ago
You are committing the same sin as the headline. While 'crimes' may be a sociological construct, there is a pretty large subset of crimes that are based on a basic sense of fairness that is basically identical across all cultures and times that human's have lived. Lending money for interest is a crime in one culture but not in another, but stabbing your neighbor so you can steal his stuff is a crime all the time.
- foolrush 7y ago
  Bzzt. False. All “crime” is a sociological construct. In your second case, are there laws in some cultures that permit you to stab your neighbour such as in the case of “self defence”? Yes. How the nuance of those laws are defined is a social, cultural, and political exercise in power.
  - ltbarcly3 7y ago
    It's not clear what you are even claiming, all ideas and concepts are 'creations' of humans, so you aren't saying anything? I mean 'the moon' is a construction of humans in so far as we identified it as an 'object' distinct from other 'objects', blah blah blah who cares. You intentionally changed my example of an unprovoked murder of a neighbor with the intent to steal their property to some other, totally different example that has no bearing on the debate. Congratulations, you're a hack. The question is whether humans have (at least some) consistent views across societies, or whether we are complete tabula rasa. This isn't even a serious debate anymore, clearly there are lots of consistent features that do not vary across any human society, and are even found among primates and other mammals such as dogs and whales and other social sea mammals.

ltbarcly3 7y ago

You are committing the same sin as the headline. While 'crimes' may be a sociological construct, there is a pretty large subset of crimes that are based on a basic sense of fairness that is basically identical across all cultures and times that human's have lived. Lending money for interest is a crime in one culture but not in another, but stabbing your neighbor so you can steal his stuff is a crime all the time.

foolrush 7y ago
Bzzt. False. All “crime” is a sociological construct. In your second case, are there laws in some cultures that permit you to stab your neighbour such as in the case of “self defence”? Yes. How the nuance of those laws are defined is a social, cultural, and political exercise in power.
- ltbarcly3 7y ago
  It's not clear what you are even claiming, all ideas and concepts are 'creations' of humans, so you aren't saying anything? I mean 'the moon' is a construction of humans in so far as we identified it as an 'object' distinct from other 'objects', blah blah blah who cares. You intentionally changed my example of an unprovoked murder of a neighbor with the intent to steal their property to some other, totally different example that has no bearing on the debate. Congratulations, you're a hack. The question is whether humans have (at least some) consistent views across societies, or whether we are complete tabula rasa. This isn't even a serious debate anymore, clearly there are lots of consistent features that do not vary across any human society, and are even found among primates and other mammals such as dogs and whales and other social sea mammals.