Legal Studies

Man is the only organism on earth that has the capacity for reason and communication.  Because of this, philosophers have long claimed that man is the only creature that has free will.  The capacity of man to make conscious decisions based on reason rather than instinct has long been accepted as the ultimate proof that man does indeed have free will (Chung & Hyland, 2012).  On the other hand, the developments in science over the past three centuries have challenged many long-held beliefs and traditions.  Science has proven as well as disproven many different beliefs and accepted truths in the past.  The fields of psychology and neuroscience have cast doubt on previously held beliefs concerning free will and determinism. Science has proven that man is not free from instinctual behavior and autonomic biological responses (Tancredi, 2007).  Because of this, it is safe to assume that man does not have complete control of his actions; hence, it is can be assumed that man does not posses complete free will.

Being a member of the LGBTQ community, I have witnessed plenty of romantic and platonic situations that foster gender roles. In my opinion, a difference in gender roles is a product of the environment.  The differences in the role that males and females play are determined by values, morals, and norms formed by the society rather than by biological determinants.  From as early as I can remember, I thought men were supposed to be the head of the household and women were supposed to be barefoot and pregnant, all while keeping the home cleaned and all meals cooked

In a society where violence is quickly becoming a growing problem, many psychologists, criminologists and even sociologists have long debated the issue of genetics and violence.  They have scrambled to provide a thorough yet simple answer to the question “Is the tendency for violence genetic?”  Scientifically, we do have the capacity to scan the brain and examine genetic material so it’s no wonder that there are indeed several ways by which science, by way of research, can determine if an individual is genetically pre-disposed to violence, thus increasing the likelihood that s/he will become more violent in comparison to those who are not.  Over the decades, researchers have conducted several landmark studies that helped to reveal the role of certain genes that could result in genetic disposition towards extreme violence.  One in particular, Monoamine Oxidase-A, has been identified as a precursor to violent behavior and antisocial behavior among humans (Moosajee, 2003).  Likewise, head scans of individuals with violent histories reveal a stark difference in brain activity between these individuals’ prefrontal cortex as compared to the brain scans of the rest of the population (Raine, 2002).  This points to strong evidence of genetic predisposition to crime among some individuals.

The issue concerning the validity of recovered memories has been debated for a considerable period of time.  Indeed, mental health professionals from both sides of the spectrum adhere to their stance, that is, either for or against the validity of memories recovered from mental health patients.  As far as this writer is concerned, based on critical thinking and thoroughly examining both sides of this ever debatable issue, there is strong evidence to refute the authenticity of recovered memories as a result of therapy as well as the associated ethical issues of utilizing recovered memories in criminal or civil proceedings