Criminality and economic conditionsBonger, Willem Adriaan
General
Criminality and economic conditions
Bonger, Willem Adriaan
Crime -- Economic aspects
—In order to avoid repetitions I will make no criticism of this
chapter, since I should have to refute almost all the theses here laid
down, but will treat of the questions of the struggle for existence,
and egoism and altruism, in Part II of this work.—
In his “Conclusione” [128] Professor Ferri compares society to a sick
person at whose bedside there meet three friends of his, who all wish
him well. The first declares confidently that the soul dominates the
body and that consequently material remedies are of no avail. The
second says, on the contrary, that it is only a total change of the
environment in which he is living that can cure the invalid. The third
also believes that modifications are necessary, but he contents himself
with partial improvements, though the second friend calls them only
palliatives. The first is the spiritualist, [129] the second the
socialist, and the third the sociologist.
—Having given my opinion after each chapter, a general criticism of
“Socialismo e Criminalità” is superfluous. The impression that the book
makes is strange. The author attacks the socialists as “excessively
anti-scientific and sentimental”, while he vaunts the “great scientific
character of the sociologists.” Yet these last, notwithstanding their
great scientific character, combat a doctrine which they know only in
part or not at all. Scientific socialism is left out of the discussion.
The best proof of the weakness of his attack against socialism is to be
found in the fact that the author has for several years ranked himself
among the socialists, of whom he has become one of the most fervent and
intelligent chiefs.
As regards his opinion on the criminal question Professor Ferri has
made no change, or almost none. [130]—
IV.
H. KURELLA.
This author gives some pages of his “Naturgeschichte des Verbrechers”
to the subject we have in hand. What he says may be summed up as
follows.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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