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Social Determinism and Moral Accountability 2

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More Than a Wager: The Tension Between Social Determinism and Moral Accountability

Introduction

Imagine a life defined by the American Dream where one has it all. A successful career, a developing romance, and an overall life of luxury. In this scenario, this fortunate individual wakes up one day and it is all gone. As this person’s life begins to collapse, it is revealed that in fact, they are not losing their mind. To their dismay, they find out that their life has been systematically traded with an unfortunate brief acquaintance. This entire life-swap began with one simple mistake. This wealthy individual dropped his wallet, and a homeless man tried to return it. However, due to engrained bias, the owner assumed that the homeless man was begging for money. When the police arrived, the homeless man was holding the wallet and despite the man's honest plea, he is incarcerated while the accuser stood by and did nothing.

The tables turn when two wealthy stockholders, known as the Duke brothers, witness the entire event and decide to intervene. However, they are not acting out of a sense of justice, but to satisfy their own curiosities by facilitating a wager. The brothers bail the homeless man out of jail and intentionally provide him with the status, home, and wealth that was previously owned by the prominent man. At the same time, the prominent man is stripped of his resources and cast into the street. This scenario describes the central idea of the 1983 film Trading Places, starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd (Russo et al., 2006). The Duke brothers engaged in this social experiment to settle a dispute regarding human nature and wagered one single dollar bill. One brother posited that an individual from a destitute environment would abandon their survival instincts for a productive life if given the opportunity. The other argued that if a man of status was stripped of his resources, then he would inevitably descend into a life of criminality. Although this experiment serves as a humorous narrative, it sheds light upon the serious and competing views regarding social determinism that have been the center of debate in the criminal justice system for a long time.

This cinematic experiment provides a clear lens to examine the analysis of free will and determinism from Anthony Walsh, PhD, a professor of Criminology at Boise State University. In his book, Free Will and Determinism in Criminology and Criminal Justice, the author describes the tension over whether human actions are free or predetermined. He characterizes this struggle as a “Sisyphean” task, which is a reference to the Greek myth of an endless struggle (Walsh, 2023, p. 1). Throughout eight chapters, the author utilizes his expertise in biosocial criminology to argue against the idea that human beings are “irrational automatons” (Walsh, 2023, p. viii). Walsh's extensive body of work includes numerous books and research articles exploring the influence of genetics and neurobiology on criminal behavior. Beyond these academic credentials, the author brings twenty-one years of practical law enforcement experience to his analysis, including a tenure as a probation officer (Wikipedia, 2024).

The central theme of this review fits into Criminological Theories and specifically examines how the justice system balances environmental influences with individual accountability. This analysis first evaluates the author’s critique of the conflicting views surrounding the “locus of control,” which addresses the divide between blaming external social environments versus internal individual choices (Walsh, 2023, p. 38). The focus then shifts to his arguments on how fatherless homes and “neighborhood catastrophes” interact with a person’s genetic dispositions (Walsh, 2023, p. 16). Lastly, the analysis interprets the author’s move toward compatibilism. His stance asserts that individuals must be held morally responsible for their actions even when biological and environmental circumstances are major factors.

The Locus of Control and the Free Mind

Delving into the heart of the issues within criminology, Walsh (2023) identifies the point of contention where these differing views collide. The argument between liberals and conservatives can be reduced to whether an individual believes that they sit in the driver’s seat of their own life or if the world is just thumping them around. The author informs readers that the liberal side leans towards the external view, positing that crime is the result of systemic failures. However, the conservative or internal view focuses on locus of control which places responsibility solely on individual choice (Walsh, 2023). The author contends that the justice system has become stagnant due to its inability to balance these two perspectives.

Historically, theories such as B.F. Skinner’s behaviorist theory are similar to the external view, suggesting that individuals are subjects of their environment and this dictates their behavior. The one-dollar wager mimics this domino effect logic believing that if an individual’s environment changes, so will they change. On the other hand, the author completely rejects this idea and  asserts that human beings are not robots and even despite growing up exposed to crime, this does not set the stage for one’s entire life. The author leads readers to believe that the external view is blindsided by the fact that every individual has a free mind in which to make their own decisions. He proves that the only way to eliminate free will is to completely predict human behavior which is not possible. The author highlights that “even the most advanced criminological models cannot even reach 50% accuracy” (Walsh, 2023, p. 7). Therefore, this gap in the data is attributed as proof of where the free mind operates.

The Mechanics of Choice

The true substance of Walsh’s (2023) argument is not only that choice exists, but how it operates through the mesh theories which is a hierarchy of desires. In this way, the author divides choice into two layers. The first layer consists of survival instincts while the second layer lies within our ability to judge those instincts before acting upon them. The author believes that it is this exact point where the two layers mesh that create purposeful reasoning. Therefore, an individual surrounded by crime still has the opportunity to choose to be a law-abiding citizen. This logic discredits one of the Duke brothers’ assertions that a destitute atmosphere locks individuals into a cycle of crime that they cannot escape. Considering this, one is not a victim of circumstance, but a co-creator of one’s own reality.

Furthermore, Walsh (2023) uses the concept of “veto power” to show that we are not slaves to our biology. He provides examples such as those who take vows of poverty or fast for long periods to demonstrate that the mind can be used to override physical needs. While the author admits that this is not an easy task, he also acknowledges the work of Jeremy Bentham who identified 32 different factors, from one’s health to their upbringing, that heavily influence one’s “sensibility” (Walsh, 2023, p. 47). Possessing twenty-one years as a probation officer, Walsh (2023) urges individuals to own the outcome of their actions. He leads readers to believe that he understands that individuals operate out of varying levels of willpower. However, he also argues that even though genetics play a role in the hand that an individual is dealt, fortunately they do not play that hand for them.

Fatherless Homes and Neighborhood Catastrophes

In observing the environmental roots of criminality, Walsh (2023) focuses heavily on how an individual’s personal surroundings can stack the deck against them. He coined the term “neighborhood catastrophes” to describe high crime areas where the rules are usually ignored. The author argues that in these places, fatherless homes are a major determining factor for future issues. This is because father figures often provide stability and serve as strong role models of guidance for their sons. However, without fatherly support, young men are left to the vices of the streets in order to raise them and to survive. The same scenario can be seen in the behavior of the homeless man in Trading Places. This man was not “born bad,” however he had to adapt to a world that functioned on the hustler mentality just to stay afloat.

Another undeniable part of Walsh’s (2023) argument is that chaotic homes and dangerous neighborhoods do more than just influence the way that an individual perceives the world. These factors have the ability to rewire the brain’s stress response. In this same vein, the author surpasses the complex interplay between “nature vs. nurture” and demonstrates how a toxic environment can hijack the nervous system. When a child grows up under extreme stressful conditions, their body remains in a state of “fight or flight” (Walsh, 2023). The author informs readers that constant distress damages their prefrontal cortex which controls impulsive behavior and the ability to gauge long-term consequences.

In addition to this, the amygdala enlarges and becomes overactive. All of these moving parts together create mental instability where an individual could care less about the future because they are trying to survive for the next ten minutes. Walsh (2023) suggests that this offers an alternative lens in which to view criminal behavior, being that it is often a brain that has been tuned for survival. Therefore, while the author remains firm in his convictions that the free mind has the final say, he is also balanced in his approach knowing that a bad environment can physically weaken the brain’s ability to engage in proper reasoning. He recognizes that one cannot expect an individual to act with the caution of someone who has everything to lose, when they have grown up in a world that never gave them anything to hold onto.

Compatibilism as the Solution

At the end of Trading Places, The Duke brothers both lost their bet because they were blinded by extremes. One felt that a person was the product of their bloodline, while the other believed that environment and circumstance were everything. Walsh (2023) acts as the common denominator offering compatibilism as the middle ground to meet this long-standing debate halfway. The author is well aware that being born with the odds stacked against an individual makes the game harder, however, he still insists that the player is still the one in charge of making the right choices in playing the game. We can see that this is the greatest challenge for the justice system, because individuals are treated like programmed machines to be punished or helpless victims to be excused. Walsh (2023) contends that the best path towards progression is to adopt a comprehensive perspective and consider the whole picture. Compatibilism bridges free will and determinism to work together. This concept argues that despite your personal genetic makeup or living in a harsh environment, one can always make the necessary adjustments to succeed. Being held accountable evokes respect for the human aspect of choice, which the author contends is the only way to proceed forward in order to have a fair system. 

Conclusion

In the end, the social experiment conducted by the Duke brothers in Trading Places was meant to prove that humans are only products of their environment. However, the work of Walsh (2023) proves that reality is complex. After evaluating various criminological theories, it is evident that neither an individual’s neighborhood nor their bank account draws a comprehensive picture of who they truly are. The author is correct to argue that while a rough upbringing or a fatherless home can stack the deck against someone, those factors alone do not force a person to engage in criminal activity. This review supports compatibilism as being the most productive approach to a more balanced justice system. Compatibilism accounts for personal struggle while still upholding the standard of human dignity. The author makes a valid point that if the justice system treats individuals like they have no choice, then it can be seen as also treating them as less than human beings. Therefore, the author has effectively set forth a guide for a justice system that is both equitable and honest. In recapitulation, choice and humanity go hand in hand, and the ability to overcome adversity by choosing to make sound choices is what it means to be alive.

References

Russo, A., Harris, T., Weingrod, H., Landis, J., Aykroyd, D., Murphy, E., Bellamy, R., Ameche,

D., Elliott, D., Curtis, J. L., Paynter, R., Campbell, M., & Bernstein, E. (2006). Trading places [Film]. Paramount Home Video.

Walsh, A. (2023). Free will and determinism in criminology and criminal justice. Nova.

Wikipedia. (2024, May 22). Anthony Walsh (criminologist).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Walsh_(criminologist