SOC209H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Jeremy Bentham, Converting Vegetarians, Social Control Theory
Document Summary
Chapter four classical theories of deviance & their influence on. Jurisprudence- law and principles that govern court decisions. The deviant was no longer seen as a creature possessed by devils. He was a rational person who made self-serving choices. Holy terror was the law of the times. Process of accusation was biased against the powerless. They made up the law as they went along. Growing fear of the dangerous classes"- people who were not under control of a master and were free to commit offenses. Disastrous wars, periodic return of disaffected soldiers, typhus and cholera epidemics, gin drunk by the poor because it was affordable, executions becoming scenes of drunken revelry all these factors contributed to growing crime & disorder. The philosophes expressed anger over inconsistencies of the social order. They developed a new vision of how society would be if it was based on rational principles that would ensure the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
