PSYC 331 Chapter Notes - Chapter -: Mens Rea, Aeschylus, Emor
Document Summary
Introduces the presumption of innocence (that guilt must be proven); innocent until proven guilty. Both the accused and the accuser have chance to provide evidence. Harsh sentences lex talionis (an eye for an eye) Aeschylus suggested that human honesty was equivalent to the wisdom of the gods (this was a radical idea at the time); now people can decide innocence and guilt; not just gods. You need to have a guilty mind; the act itself does not make you guilty unless its accompanied by a guilty mind; one was at fault only if they had done evil deliberately (mens rea) Actus reus the act is also important because some crimes are too heinous to go unpunished. There are some deeds that are so bad that they need to be punished just to appease the gods; but some deeds demanded punishment regardless of perpetrator"s intent if the rage of the gods was to be forestalled.
