THE WORLD of SCIENCE

1
I.

• THE WORLD of SCIENCE
• and
• THE CONSTRUCTION and APPLICATION of THEORY

2
A. Introduction

• 1. truth is always the goal of theory
• construction
• gt Whether seeking criminological
  (scientific) truth
• or criminal justice (practical)
  truth the pursuit is
• similar, the only difference is
  the methodology
• 2. What is a theory?
• gt A series of testable
  statements, seeking to explain
• or understand a particular
  phenomenon.

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B. The Nature of Theory

• 1. explanations that are created to be
• tested, thus refutation is as
  scientifically
• valuable as confirmation / support
• 2. qualities
• a. good theory seeks testing,
  support engages intellectual
• curiosity
• b. bad theory explanation that is
  ignored, disregarded

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C. Purpose of Theory

• 1. establishes cognitive order
• a. provides a perspective from which to
  conduct scientific
• examination
• b. provides a reasonable starting point
  and
• reasonable direction from / in
  which to seek
• the truth
• 2. seeks to answer 3 questions
• gt Why, how, what now?

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D. Evaluation Criteria

• 1. logic
• 2. support
• 3. utility

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E. Theoretical Models

• 1. Deductive Reasoning Model
• a. The Scientific Method / the rise of
  Positivism
• b. Cesare Lombroso
• 
  1) Father of Modern Criminology
• 2)
  Italian positivist
• 3) LUomo Delinquente
• (The
  Delinquent Man, 1889)
• 
  (1835-1909)

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Assumption 1
Proposition 1
Assumption 2
Hypothesis 1
Proposition 2
EMPIRICAL
Assumption 3
REGULARITY
Hypothesis n
Proposition n
Assumption n
You
TRUTH
Your Explanation
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• 2. Inductive Reasoning Model
• a. manufacturing reasonable explanations
  of specific
• events
• b. Robert K Mertons theories of the
  mid-range
• 1) micro-level examination is more
• relevant than macro-level
• 2) specific events provide useful
• contexts in which to better
• understand human behavior
• 
  
  (1910-2003)

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Something Happened
Previous Knowledge (your perspective)
Assumptions
Theory
Empirical
Regularity
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• 3. Conflict / Dialectic Model
• gt advocated by Georg Hegel
• 1) German philosopher
• 2) individual
  perception can only be
• understood
  by understanding its social
• context
• (1770-1831)

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conflict
Y
Z
(Antithesis)
(Thesis)
II
Z
(Synthesis)
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F. Summary

• 1. social science theories are constructed to
  provide a
• reasonable explanation of a social
  phenomenon
• 2. not intended to used as a legal
  rationalization
• 3. in order to be useful, theories must be
  tested
• 4. the 3 theoretical models are not
  absolute, they are
• sometimes interchangeable
• 5. crime is often inexplicable, this is not
  the fault of
• the theorist