Positivist Theory
Positivist in Criminal Charles Manson
Cynthia A. Kazibutowski
CRJS 105
Positivist Theory and Charles Manson
After thoroughly researching, and reading articles both online and printed material, about Positivist theory and the lifestyle of Charles Manson leading his followers up to the murders in 1969. I have managed to gather a great deal of material concerning the area of know how to apply the positivist theory in Charles Manson’s crime history. Auguste Comte (1798- 1857) stated that Positivism theory is a philosophical approach with basic premises such as measurement, objectivity, and causality, but Lombroso’s concept is that, the appearance of criminals is, physical stigmata; atavism; biological inheritance and cause criminality. He also stated that early positivistic theories saw criminals as throwbacks to earlier evolutionary epochs. Does Charles Manson fit in this theory? Let’s search Lombroso’s concept about positivism in Charles Manson’s acts and through his early childhood.
The Criminal History
Charles Manson was a leader of a cult group, members of the family believed he was God, and did anything he asked for. He organized orgies, hand out drugs to his followers, when he told them to kill, they did it without question. At the scenes of the murders, messages were daubed on the walls in the victim’s blood: “Political Piggy”, “death to pigs”, “rise”, and “Helter Skelter”. Helter Skelter was the name he had given to the black uprising which he was expecting to happen. It didn’t happen as fast as he wanted it, he decided that he would speed its arrival up, by killing white people, and black people would get the blame, there would be retaliation killings and a war would start as signal to the end of the world, and after that, the Manson family would take over the world. Manson was trying to incite a race war, by killing white people living in white districts, which was going to make white people believe it was black people who did the crimes.
Cynthia A. Kazibutowski
CRJS 105
Positivist Theory and Charles Manson
After thoroughly researching, and reading articles both online and printed material, about Positivist theory and the lifestyle of Charles Manson leading his followers up to the murders in 1969. I have managed to gather a great deal of material concerning the area of know how to apply the positivist theory in Charles Manson’s crime history. Auguste Comte (1798- 1857) stated that Positivism theory is a philosophical approach with basic premises such as measurement, objectivity, and causality, but Lombroso’s concept is that, the appearance of criminals is, physical stigmata; atavism; biological inheritance and cause criminality. He also stated that early positivistic theories saw criminals as throwbacks to earlier evolutionary epochs. Does Charles Manson fit in this theory? Let’s search Lombroso’s concept about positivism in Charles Manson’s acts and through his early childhood.
The Criminal History
Charles Manson was a leader of a cult group, members of the family believed he was God, and did anything he asked for. He organized orgies, hand out drugs to his followers, when he told them to kill, they did it without question. At the scenes of the murders, messages were daubed on the walls in the victim’s blood: “Political Piggy”, “death to pigs”, “rise”, and “Helter Skelter”. Helter Skelter was the name he had given to the black uprising which he was expecting to happen. It didn’t happen as fast as he wanted it, he decided that he would speed its arrival up, by killing white people, and black people would get the blame, there would be retaliation killings and a war would start as signal to the end of the world, and after that, the Manson family would take over the world. Manson was trying to incite a race war, by killing white people living in white districts, which was going to make white people believe it was black people who did the crimes.