The Leopold and Loeb Trail + The Conscious Stone Flashcards
Why is the stone mistaken when he declares that he is moving towards the pond of its own free will?
It is falling because of the force of gravity and the momentum imparted by the boy who threw it, not of its own volition. Its motion is determined by forces external to it.
Baruch Spinoza, a determinist, used the stone example to show that…
our freedom is just an image. We think ourselves free only to the extent that we are ignorant of the infinitely complex and hidden range of causes that determine us to take action. Free will is an illusion.
To what influence did Darrow and Leopold ascribe Loeb’s facination with crime?
- A form of rebellion against his well-meaning, but strict and controlling governess
- Detective stories and the thrill he got from being risky
How did Leopold use Nietzsche to justify his actions?
- Leopold was a law student at the University of Chicago, where Nietzsche’s ideas were widely debated
- Leopold agreed with Nietzsche’s criticism of moral codes, and believed that legal obligations didn’t apple to those who approached the superman, which he saw in Loeb
What determining factors led the boys to commit murder?
- youth
- abnormalities
- impressionable
- wealth
- encouraged by previous crimes
- upbringings
What was the judge’s verdict?
- a crime of single atrocity
- beyond province of this court
- predicate ultimate responsibility for human acts
