NCJ Number
38452
Date Published
1976
Length
20 pages
Annotation
THE PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION OF A DEFINITION OF CAUSE IN CRIMINOLOGY IS DISCUSSED BECAUSE OF ITS RELEVANCE TO RESEARCH IN THAT FIELD OF STUDY.
Abstract
THE AUTHOR VIEWS THE SEMANTICS OF CAUSE AS IMPORTANT TO THE STUDY OF CRIMINOLOGY SINCE A PROBLEM MUST FIRST BE DEFINED BEFORE AN ATTEMPT CAN BE MADE AT ITS SOLUTION. HE ANALYZES THE CONCEPT OF 'SYSTEMS' AND DESCRIBES THEIR TYPES AND MODELS IN ORDER TO ARRIVE AT AN UNDERSTANDING OF MODERN SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY. ALSO OFFERED IS A RATIONALE FOR THE USE OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IN THE FORMULATION OF A LOGICAL STRATEGY FOR STUDYING CRIMINOLOGY. THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES WITH AN ANALYSIS OF STRATEGY AND A DISCUSSION OF RESEARCH PLANNING.