What are some surprising factors that have been used as defenses for murder?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around surprising factors that have been used as defenses for murder, referencing lectures by Robert Sapolsky. The scope includes theoretical and conceptual explorations of psychological and physiological influences on behavior.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants mention that factors such as menstruation, brain tumors, junk food, and anabolic steroids have been cited as defenses in murder cases.
  • One participant notes that these factors may decrease cerebral circulation, prompting a question about the relationship between cerebral artery tone and vasoconstriction.
  • Several participants express appreciation for the lecture series and its content, indicating a shared interest in the subject matter.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the intriguing nature of the factors discussed, but there is no consensus on the implications or validity of these defenses in legal contexts.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the physiological effects of the mentioned factors on behavior are not fully explored, and the discussion does not resolve the complexities of their legal interpretations.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in psychology, law, and the intersection of behavioral science and criminal defense may find this discussion relevant.

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I just audited this lecture series. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be able to do so. The two missing lectures from this series, Depression and Religion, are also on the web you just have to search for them.

I've wanted study at Stanford for over thirty years and now the University along with Prof. Sapolsky has made that possible for me as well as for anyone else willing to invest the time and effort.

It was definitely worth the wait!
 
I listened to the TTC course by him on this subject. Very well done. I look forward to watching these.
 
Fascinating indeed.
 
Nice!

In the introduction Sapolsky mentions that menstruation, brain tumors, junk food and anabolic steroids have each been used as a defense for murder.

They all decrease cerebral circulation as well. 'Increasing cerebral artery tone' refers to* the muscles responsible for vasoconstriction, right?

*http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16794020
 

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