Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman
Ep36 "What is Insanity?" Part 1
Nov 27, 2023
Exploring the insanity defense in the legal system and the difficulty in determining the boundaries of 'insanity'. The case of a mother killing her children to save them from eternal punishment. Examining guilt and intent in criminal liability and the creation of the McNaughton rule. The complexities of the insanity defense and the challenge of defining the line between sanity and insanity.
39:11
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Quick takeaways
- The insanity defense in the legal system is not based on psychiatric or neurological diagnoses and hinges on proving a lack of understanding or moral capacity at the time of the crime.
- The intersection of neuroscience and the legal system poses a challenge in reconciling scientific understanding of varying degrees of reality distortion with the legal necessity for categorical distinctions between sane and insane.
Deep dives
The Insanity Defense: A Legal Concept
Insanity is a legal term used in the context of the criminal justice system, not a medical term. It is not based on psychiatric or neurological diagnoses. The insanity defense is raised in cases where the defendant argues that their mental illness prevented them from understanding the nature and consequences of their actions, or from distinguishing right from wrong. The McNaughton rule, established in 1848, sets the standard for the insanity defense: the defendant must prove that they had a mental disease or defect at the time of the crime and were unable to understand the nature of their act or that it was morally wrong. The defense hinges on whether the accused person had a guilty mind or not.
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