Knowledge Destruction Versus Knowledge Cumulation

A disturbing trend in the field of corrections has been the appearance of pseudoscientific arguments, otherwise known as knowledge destruction, to discount policies affecting the lives of offenders and the protection of the public. This entry begins with a definition of knowledge destruction, traces its philosophical roots, describes its key elements, and then explores examples of how knowledge destruction has generated erroneous conclusions in three areas of corrections research: the prediction and the treatment of criminal behavior and the effects of prison life. Then, the entry closes with an antidote to knowledge destruction by outlining a constructive approach to the cumulation of scientific knowledge and contrasts the results from this approach in the three aforementioned research domains.

Knowledge Destruction

The philosophical roots of knowledge destruction can ...

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