Born Criminal? Does Biology Determine Who Commits Crime?

Summary

This video explores early biological theories attributing criminal behavior to inherited traits, such as physiognomy and phrenology. It discusses Cesare Lombroso's work, which posited that criminals had distinct physical features indicating innate criminal tendencies. However, these theories were discredited for their pseudoscientific nature and racial bias. The video emphasizes that while biology may influence behavior, it is not the sole determinant of criminality, paving the way for biosocial theories that consider multiple factors.

Takeaways

• 🧬 Early biological theories of criminal behavior focused on the idea of biological determinism, suggesting that inherited traits dictate behavior.
• 🔍 These theories were some of the first attempts to apply scientific methods to the study of crime, but they were ultimately discredited.
• 👤 Physiognomy, popular in the 1600s and 1800s, linked facial features to moral character, implying that physical appearance could predict criminal tendencies.
• 💀 Phrenology, which was prominent in the 1800s and early 1900s, believed that the shape and size of the skull could indicate brain anatomy and thus personality traits.
• 🇮🇹 Cesare Lombroso, an Italian criminologist, was a significant proponent of biological explanations for crime, though his theories have been largely discredited.
• 📚 Lombroso's theory suggested that criminals had distinct physical features, such as large jaws or abnormal head shapes, which were seen as signs of 'criminal traits'.
• 🧬 Biological theories were based on positivism, a scientific paradigm that claimed reality could be determined with absolute certainty through objective data analysis.
• 🚫 These early theories were flawed due to their reliance on stereotypes and assumptions of objectivity, leading to racial and class prejudices.
• 🚨 Despite their shortcomings, these early attempts laid the groundwork for future scientific studies of criminality and highlighted the importance of avoiding similar mistakes.
• 👥 Modern biosocial theories of crime acknowledge that biology is one of many factors influencing behavior, rather than the sole determinant.
• 📉 Biological theories fell out of favor after World War II, but their historical significance remains in understanding the evolution of criminological thought.

Q & A

What is the central theme of the video script?

The central theme of the video script is the exploration of early biological theories that attempted to link physical traits to criminal behavior, their flaws, and how they have evolved into more nuanced biosocial theories of crime.

What is biological determinism?

Biological determinism is the belief that inherited traits completely determine a person's behavior, suggesting that criminals are born that way due to their genetic makeup.

What were some of the earliest biological theories of criminal behavior?

Some of the earliest biological theories of criminal behavior include physiognomy and phrenology, which linked facial features and head anatomy to moral character and personality traits, respectively.

Who is Cesare Lombroso and what was his contribution to criminology?

Cesare Lombroso was an Italian criminologist who is often referred to as the father of criminology. He was among the first to use the scientific method to explain criminal behavior, proposing that criminals have distinct physical features indicative of 'born criminal traits.'

What is positivism and how did it influence early biological theories of crime?

Positivism is a scientific paradigm that argues reality can be determined with absolute certainty through objective data collection and analysis. It influenced early biological theories by promoting the idea that measurable physical traits could predict criminal behavior.

What were the flaws in the early biological theories of crime?

The flaws in early biological theories of crime included a lack of logical connection between physical traits and behavior, an overreliance on racial and ethnic stereotypes, and a deterministic view that ignored the complexity of human behavior.

How did early biological theories contribute to racial and ethnic prejudice?

Early biological theories contributed to racial and ethnic prejudice by associating certain physical traits with criminal behavior, particularly among black populations, and reinforcing the idea of a 'savage throwback' to earlier stages of evolution.

What is the modern perspective on the role of biology in criminal behavior?

The modern perspective recognizes that biology is one of many factors that can influence criminal behavior, but it is not the sole cause. This view is encapsulated in biosocial theories of crime, which consider both biological and social factors.

Why did biological theories of crime fall out of favor after World War II?

Biological theories of crime fell out of favor after World War II due to their association with eugenics, racial prejudice, and the realization that they were not scientifically sound or supported by rigorous testing.

How do perceptions based on physical appearance impact the way we assess criminality today?

Perceptions based on physical appearance can significantly impact the way we assess criminality by influencing our biases and judgments. Phrases like 'he looks like a criminal' reflect these perceptions, which can affect who is deemed suspicious or criminal.

What is the conclusion of the video script regarding the idea that people are born criminals?

The video script concludes that people are not born criminals and that it is not inevitable to predict a person's criminal behavior based on their birth. It refutes the determinism central to early biological theories.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 The Debate: Nature vs. Nurture in Criminal Behavior

This paragraph introduces the long-standing debate about whether human behavior is driven by nature (genetics) or nurture (environment). Early theories on criminal behavior focused on biological determinism, the idea that genetic abnormalities determine behavior, suggesting that criminals are born, not made. Although these theories were eventually debunked and seen as pseudoscience, they marked the first scientific efforts to understand crime. The paragraph sets the stage for a discussion on biological theories and the importance of learning from their mistakes.

05:00

👤 Physiognomy and Phrenology: Linking Physical Traits to Behavior

The focus here is on two early attempts to connect biological traits with behavior: physiognomy and phrenology. Physiognomy, popular between the 1600s and 1800s, claimed that a person's facial features could reveal their moral character and predict behavior. Phrenology, which gained traction in the 1800s and into the 1900s, analyzed skull shape and size to infer personality traits. The paragraph emphasizes the belief that physical abnormalities in the head could provide clues about a person's behavior, despite these ideas being scientifically flawed.

📚 Cesare Lombroso: The Father of Criminology

This section discusses Cesare Lombroso, an Italian criminologist who pioneered the use of the scientific method to explain criminal behavior. Lombroso proposed that criminals could be identified by certain physical features such as large jaws, uneven eyes, or long arms, labeling them as biologically inferior and ‘atavistic anomalies’—a throwback to primitive human evolution. Despite Lombroso’s work being discredited, he is recognized as a significant figure for his systematic approach to studying crime.

🔬 Positivism and the Flaws of Early Theories

This paragraph explains the influence of positivism, a scientific paradigm that promoted the belief in objective certainty through data collection. However, early biological theories of crime were criticized for lacking logic, as they made baseless connections between physical traits and criminality. The paragraph also highlights the racial and ethnic biases present in these theories, which often targeted minority groups and the lower class. Despite being deemed 'scientific,' these theories were subjective and harmful.

⚠️ Harmful Theories and Their Lasting Influence

The discussion shifts to the legacy of these flawed early theories, which, although incorrect, laid the groundwork for the scientific study of criminality. They serve as a warning of the dangers of drawing conclusions based on physical appearance. While these theories are no longer accepted, the paragraph points out that humans still make judgments based on appearance. Phrases like 'he looks like a criminal' reflect lingering biases in how we perceive people.

❌ Debunking Biological Determinism in Crime

The final paragraph addresses the core question: Are people born criminals? The answer is no, rejecting the deterministic view that criminality is inevitable from birth. Instead, modern 'biosocial' theories recognize that biology may play a role in behavior but is only one factor among many. The paragraph concludes by introducing the idea that after World War II, biological explanations of crime fell out of favor, setting up a continuation of this topic in a subsequent video.

Keywords

💡Biological determinism

Biological determinism is the belief that human behavior is determined by inherited traits, essentially arguing that individuals are born with certain characteristics that dictate their actions. In the video, this concept is used to critique early theories that posited criminals were born with physical traits that predisposed them to criminal behavior, such as large jaws or abnormally shaped heads.

💡Physiognomy

Physiognomy refers to the pseudoscience that attempts to judge a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, particularly their facial features. The video discusses how physiognomy was used in the past to link facial structures to moral character, suggesting that abnormal features indicated a propensity for criminal behavior.

💡Phrenology

Phrenology is another discredited pseudoscience that claimed to determine a person's character and mental abilities by examining the shape of their skull. The video mentions phrenology as a method that was once used to identify criminal tendencies by analyzing head bumps and ridges, which were believed to reflect the brain's anatomy.

💡Cesare Lombroso

Cesare Lombroso was an Italian criminologist who is often referred to as the 'father of criminology.' The video describes Lombroso's work as an early attempt to scientifically explain criminal behavior by identifying distinct physical features in criminals, which he believed were signs of biological inferiority and atavistic traits.

💡Degenerative

In the context of the video, 'degenerative' refers to the idea that certain physical features were seen as signs of regression to an earlier, more primitive state of human evolution. Lombroso used this term to describe criminals who exhibited physical abnormalities, suggesting they were biologically inferior and predisposed to crime.

💡Atavistic anomaly

An 'atavistic anomaly' is a term used in the video to describe the concept that criminals were seen as biological throwbacks to a more primitive or savage stage of human evolution. This notion was based on the belief that certain physical traits indicated a person's inherent criminal nature.

💡Positivism

Positivism is a philosophical approach that suggests reality can be determined with absolute certainty through objective data collection and analysis. The video explains that early biological theories of crime were based on positivism, which led to the erroneous assumption that these theories were objective and therefore infallible.

💡Pseudoscience

Pseudoscience refers to beliefs or practices that claim to be scientific but lack the rigor and validity of the scientific method. The video labels early biological theories of crime as pseudoscience because they were not supported by rigorous testing and have been largely discredited.

💡Biosocial theories

Biosocial theories of crime acknowledge that biology is one of many factors that can influence criminal behavior, but it is not the sole cause. The video contrasts these modern theories with early biological determinism, emphasizing that while biology may play a role, environmental factors and personal choices also contribute significantly.

💡Perception

Perception, as discussed in the video, refers to how people form judgments and opinions about others based on their physical appearance. The video points out that even though physical characteristics are not valid predictors of criminal behavior, perceptions based on looks still influence societal judgments about who might be a criminal.

💡Scientific method

The scientific method is a systematic approach to research that involves forming hypotheses, collecting data, and drawing conclusions through testing and analysis. The video notes that early attempts to explain criminal behavior used the scientific method but were flawed, leading to incorrect and harmful theories.

Highlights

The age-old question of nature vs. nurture in determining behavior.

Early biological theories linked abnormal physical traits to criminal behavior.

Biological determinism suggested inherited traits dictated behavior.

Theories were based on genetics and linked genetic abnormalities to criminality.

Physiognomy, linking facial features to moral character, was an early attempt.

Phrenology used head anatomy to indicate brain structure and personality traits.

Cesare Lombroso was a key figure in biological explanations of crime.

Lombroso's theory suggested criminals had distinct physical features.

Biological theories were based on positivism, which claimed objective certainty through data analysis.

Early theories were flawed due to a lack of logical connection between physical traits and behavior.

Biological determinism was heavily racially and ethnically prejudiced.

Despite flaws, early theories laid the foundation for future scientific study of criminality.

Modern biosocial theories recognize biology as one factor among many in criminal behavior.

Perceptions of physical appearance still influence judgments of criminality.

Biological theories fell out of favor after World War II.

The question of whether people are born criminal is answered with a definitive no.

Biology may influence behavior but is not the sole cause of criminality.

Transcripts

it's the age-old question what drives

our behavior nature or nurture genetics

or environment some of the oldest

explanations of criminal behavior center

around abnormal physical traits here

we'll look at some biological traits i

have other videos focusing on

psychological there'll be links in the

descriptions below you can check those

out early biological theory centered on

an underlying premise of biological

determinism that inherited traits

completely determine how a person

ultimately behaves essentially criminals

are the way they are because they're

born that way they are born criminal

these theories were based largely on

genetics linking genetic abnormalities

with criminal behavior they were some of

the first real attempts at using the

scientific method to study crime

unfortunately

these theories weren't very good and all

of them were ultimately falsified

meaning they were not found to be

supported when rigorously tested and

today they're largely considered more

pseudoscience than science but they were

very early attempts and there's a lot to

learn from what they got right and even

more importantly what they got wrong

one of the earliest attempts to link

biological traits with behavior is known

as physiognomy it originated as far back

as the 1600s and continued through the

1800s physiognomy linked a person's

facial features with their moral

character so essentially it was thought

that by examining how a person's face

looked how it was structured if there

was anything abnormal about it that you

could determine what type of person they

were and therefore ultimately how they

would behave

another was called phrenology which was

very popular in the 1800s but continued

into the 1900s phrenology used the

anatomy of a person's head the size of

their skull skull shape head bumps

ridges indentations at the base of the

skull all these things were used as

indicators of the anatomy of the brain

what the brain looked like different

areas of the brain were thought to

indicate specific personality traits so

by examining these physical

abnormalities in the head it was thought

that aspects of a person's personality

could be determined which could then

deduce how they would actually act

one of the most famous proponents of

phrenology and biological explanations

of crime in general was italian

criminologist cesar lombroso he was

among the first to use the scientific

method to try to explain criminal

behavior by creating a theory testing it

modifying it and then testing it again

and he's often referred to as the father

of criminology for this reason though

his ideas have largely been discredited

in his book criminal man originally

published in 1876 lombroso argued that

criminals have distinct physical

features those that he labeled as

degenerative large jaws and teeth

abnormally sized and shaped heads or

noses long arms shifty or uneven eyes

all of these type of features were used

to indicate that a person was born with

criminal traits the brain that was

stolen from my laboratory was a criminal

brain they were born biologically

inferior and therefore had these

identifiable physical abnormalities due

to this inferiority criminals were

deemed what was referred to as an

atavistic anomaly a biological throwback

to primitive stages of evolution a

primitive or more savage breed of man or

criminal man if you will

biological theories were based on a

scientific paradigm very popular at the

time known as positivism which argued

that reality could be determined with

absolute certainty through objective

collection and analysis of data now i go

through the positivist approach and how

it differs from the classical approach

in another video there's a link on the

screen and the description below if you

want to check that out namely though

these early theories were missing a key

element of high quality well-reasoned

theory

logic two or more concepts have to be

logically interconnected together why

would the way someone looks have

anything to do with how they act merely

observing something like a body type or

a space structure or a skin color or

nationality in some people who have

committed crimes or who have been deemed

criminal does not mean that all the

people who share these same

characteristics are also all criminals

however these claims were given added

legitimacy due to an erroneous

assumption of objectivity hey it can't

be wrong it's scientific we're just

following the data but using racial

ethnic class or any other types of

stereotypes determine who is and is not

a criminal

is anything but objective science now as

you may have already figured out there

was a heavy racial and ethnic prejudice

built into the biological determinism of

early biological theories blacks in

particular were closely associated with

this picture of a savage throwback to

earlier stages of evolution and there

was also prejudice based on class there

weren't a whole lot of rich folks that

were being deemed as criminal and of

course at the time race and class were

heavily intertwined even more so than

they are now so despite these early

attempts at using the scientific method

resulting in some very poor and

ultimately very harmful theories they

still laid the foundation for the future

scientific study of criminality and they

serve as a crucial reminder of what not

to do

that said even though we no longer take

seriously these kind of physical

characteristics as a valid predictor of

behavior we do still study how we

perceive people based on how they look

and this is something that we certainly

continue to use in our minds when we're

assessing how someone's personality

might be like how they might act and yes

whether or not they might be criminal

ever heard somebody say something like

he looks like a criminal to me or she

doesn't look like a criminal variations

of these types of phrases are often used

to this day and our perceptions have a

major impact on who is deemed criminal

and who isn't

so simply put to answer the question are

people born criminal the answer is no it

is not inevitable that we can pick up a

baby that's born today and say with

absolute certainty that he or she will

end up being a criminal later in life

and this really was a major downfall of

the early biological explanations of

crime this central premise of

determinism that we're all destined from

birth to turn out a certain way and

nothing can be done to change that now

does that mean that biology that nature

plays no role in how we behave

of course not instead later what became

known as biosocial theories of crime

recognized that biology was one factor

among many underlying causes in other

words while biology may influence

eventual criminal behavior it is not the

sole cause of criminal behavior i have

another video exploring these more

modern biological theories that you can

check out as well so although these

early biological explanations were the

primary lens through which crime was

viewed from the late 1800s through the

early 1900s they fell out of favor

entirely for several decades following

world war ii now why did biological

theories just completely disappear

almost entirely from accepted scientific

discourse over what causes crime well

you can join me in the next video where

we'll answer that very question