petemcewan

Top Cats Hat, I couldn't agree with you more. I'd like to add the following: According to the sociologists, there are agencies at work in a society that socialises young people into moral and law-abiding citizens They are the following: the Family, School, and the Church-and its associations. It appears that they are all failing. Addendum. An amoral and greedy society will spew forth amoral and greedy citizens.

If we look at the Stats for knife crime it's astonishing. It's young males at war with each other. What's wrong with them? Do they have nothing to live for except killing one another? Is it now a right of passage to have at least one murder to your credit?

Woodview., I don't mean to be rude, but what is that all about. It contributes nothing to the discussion. Please get back on topic. I'll help you. Should "Joe public " start to organise neighbourhood watches to protect their property? Should they collectively fund CCTV installations in their neighbourhood? If the Police can't protect you, you have to protect yourself. I'd go so far as to say, that knife crime is beyond their control (Just look at the latest figures).

Cyclone, I'm on your side with your suggestions. I live off my teacher's pension but would be prepared to pay a little more tax. The estate where I live is being targeted by criminals-the police issue crime notifications and that is about it. We must do something(within the law) if we are not to remain as victims.

People need to feel that the police offer them protection against an. assault on their person and theft of their property. There are gangs on the streets in London, that threaten to kill whole families if one of their members is attacked, The police are completely lost on what to do. There are communities that feel besieged by tow rags dealing drugs and knifing each other to death. I have a great deal of respect for the police, but there's not enough of them. Of course, the Force is underfunded and overstretched. This situation isn't lost on the criminal which of course emboldens them. What can one do?

I'm starting to think That we don't really have a Police Force that fights crime. Knife crime? Out of control and no way of stopping it. Burglaries left unsolved. My friend's car was broken into and things were stolen. Police wouldn't even come out for it. You don't see coppers on the beat anymore.Numbers of coppers on the force? The answer, not enough.

Another TV programme about gang violence. This featured a London gang that was talking about, " killing your family " !! Do they really think that all people are passive victims? What's going on in their mind? There has to be a solution. In addition. I have a friend visiting-helping me with funeral arrangements. Right this evening and right outside my front door, his car has been broken into and his few belongings stolen. The car is a crappy old Ford Focus-worth about £100 and they've broken into it . To get the window replaced will cost more than the car is worth. The police took about 1/2 hr to answer his call. You never see the old bill around my estate. It's bandit country. You're on your own. Is my estate being scoped? Are some thugs thinking, "there's an old fellow living in that house? We'll give him a go " What's happening to this city and this country?

Woolyhead A phase shift ?

RootsBooster You are probably correct. You might find this Quantum Physics approach interesting. The problem with current approaches is that after busting malignant cells-large quantities of cells get away, ready to start all over again.If that process could be controlled ,then that would be a great leap forward in the search for a cure for cancer. http://quantumconsciousness.org/sites/default/files/New Theory Origin of Cancer Quantum Coherent Entanglement.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15527951 21st Century. One in two people will get cancer. What is going on ? Quantum Physics-and not microbiology- may show us a way of overcoming the disease.

Practical application of Quantum Theory. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/abscopal-response/

Halibut, Just an additional point. The sociopolitical couples ideology with so called measurable factors in an attempt to arrive at an objective explanation of the phenomena under investigation. That is all well and good. But sometimes we have to marshal our own commonsense observation ,as a means of giving insight into what is driving complex abbarent violent behaviour. What you say about family may just be overlooked by the social scientist or just plainly rejected as not measurable.One of the roles of the family is to endow the children with a moral compass -a sense of what is right and what is wrong. If the family is delinquent then the moral compass is never established. It's then up to other agencies to do the job-such as a school.

Halibut, I think those are very good points and I agree with you.

Tinfoilhat. The sociopolitical analysis as an explanation for criminality, murder, violence and crime is not sufficient. I'm not a sociobiologist, so I'm not going to say it is in the genes. But the sociopolitical argument quite often runs into the following. There are plenty of people in stark poverty who never steal or commit a crime.

Bizarrely,it appears to me,that these gang members think that committing murder makes them a "man"- in the eyes of their peer group. This may be controversial,but I don't buy the idea that social deprivation makes them into a violent murderous individual. It's something in the person's character. Below makes interesting reading. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/10/23/white-supremacists-favorite-myths-about-black-crime-rates-take-another-hit-bjs-study

Tinfoilhat/ Spot on. I was a teenager in the 60s but we did not go out with the intention of shooting or stabbing to death another kid. There has to be a detectable source that engenders the -almost gleeful- desire to murder another person. | watched a programme recently -forgotten the name. it featured a murderous gang- `wearing monkey masks, boasting about killing other "rivals". Evil ! Pure Evil.

Padders, There's something evil at large in society. Respect for human life is missing. What is giving rise to this evil needs determining. When I was 14ys old I wasn't interested in drugs , knives, guns and killing other kids. I had the occasional Woodbine -and that was it.

I1L2T3, What part genetic factors play in the development of intelligence is uncertain and is likely to remain so, since they only exist by virtue of the fact that genetic and environmental factors have been in interaction from the time of conception. We do know , however, that defective linguistic skills, dysfunctional patterns of conceptualisation, depressed motivation and academic performance- which so often characterise low IQ score - are closely associated with poverty, social disorganisation and social isolation. We do need to think of intelligence not as a fixed mental capacity but as a generic term for the individual's set of strategies for processing information,problem solving and artistic creativity.

Genes and intelligence are part of the Sociobiologists tool kit .

He's not the first and won't be the last to make such comments This character peddled similar ideas. Arthur Jensen.

Horribleblob I shall endeavour to read your two chosen books. I've never read any of V W-but I know people who have.

Baron 99. Have you any other books you would like to add to the list? Your favourites maybe? Note: I was indeed raised on the Janet and John series of books , thanks to Chester St, Primary School, Ardwick , Manchester.

Obelix, I'll go and delve into Kirchoff. Just a point I think you will appreciate. One of the hallmarks of good science is that the results of experiments are repeatable by other scientists. I presume that Catt's critics have found that the results of his experiments cannot be duplicated.

Sheffield Forum is the only platform I bother posting on. The quality of material is first class. The forum has the potential to attract more intelligent contributors from around the world. Since I joined I have found the forum informative and stimulating. Long may it last.