Many thanks as ever, Karl, for your interesting & intelligent comments! It’s been a bit of a long day at work today & I have little brain to spare, but I’ll think about this & get back to you tomorrow.
I loved this detour away from the crime psychology topic; as you suggest, this who-not-why business remains popular in the modern era. It may be a leap on my part, but I wonder if modern people across the political spectrum indulge in this kind of thinking because it’s more basic to human behavior than a serious commitment to scientific thinking? And a complete commitment to rational thinking is hard for humans, even if they like to pay lip service to science.
I can feel these concepts already affecting my amateur sociological theories.
It would appear to be a contributing factor to trends like the social media popularity of dark triad framings, as well as what I’d call the moral provincialism of American progressives seeing Israel as an out-and-out villain, rather than a participant in a complex but very human conflict where there’s ample guilt on both sides.
This is so good. Great research and delivery. It taught me so much, thank you.
Many thanks as ever, Karl, for your interesting & intelligent comments! It’s been a bit of a long day at work today & I have little brain to spare, but I’ll think about this & get back to you tomorrow.
I loved this detour away from the crime psychology topic; as you suggest, this who-not-why business remains popular in the modern era. It may be a leap on my part, but I wonder if modern people across the political spectrum indulge in this kind of thinking because it’s more basic to human behavior than a serious commitment to scientific thinking? And a complete commitment to rational thinking is hard for humans, even if they like to pay lip service to science.
I can feel these concepts already affecting my amateur sociological theories.
It would appear to be a contributing factor to trends like the social media popularity of dark triad framings, as well as what I’d call the moral provincialism of American progressives seeing Israel as an out-and-out villain, rather than a participant in a complex but very human conflict where there’s ample guilt on both sides.