Change
I found it very peculiar, while reading, that the author described that torture as a whole disappeared during the Revolutionary period 1760-1840. The body became a sacred. Torture was aimed more towards the soul now. We talk about torture as only something that occurs in wartime scenarios. But I didn’t think that torture would become […]
Criminal from the Get Go
Owen Syllvan was a criminal from the beginning. He was “possessed” by a spirit as a boy. He then became an indentured slave for a ticket to New England. After he worked his time, he then became a criminal, printing counterfeit money. He was caught then thrown in jail for the printing. He married, unhappily, […]
Watching
Its gross to think that public executions used to be a form of entertainment during this time period. James only stabbed a man while he was drunk and then he became the center of the public’s attention after his sentence. Granted he was the first public execution in 7 years, which drew and even bigger […]
Stephen Pinker’s Ted Talk “The Better Angels of Our Nature”
To be honest, I thought this video was very interesting. Pinker, did a good job but he was very blunt. He walked through the decline of violence in society. The world used to kill and torture people and animals for entertainment. The death penalty was used frequently. How as today we argue about using it, […]