The Upturned Glass

Michael Joyce:
Up to this point in the present series of lectures, we've dealt exclusively with abnormal mentalities. I emphasise the fact that in civilised communities eighty percent of our murderers and violent criminals were those whose minds had been conditioned by exceptional nervous stress and unhealthy environment. Last Friday we dealt with the smaller group of strictly moronic criminals. And now we come to that much more interesting phenomenon - the sane criminal. The man who is prepared to pursue his own ethical convictions even to the point of murder. The man whose punishment is apt to weigh heavily on the conscience of society because his actions as likely as not have been inspired by just as great an integrity as those of the men who sit in judgment. At worst, he's an irresponsible opportunist. At the best, he's a man with a strong sense of justice, even a mystic. I propose to relate the case history of a murderer of this class. A perfectly sane, valuable member of society.