Pirates, Prisoners, and Lepers

Lessons from Life Outside the Law

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Legal History, History
Cover of the book Pirates, Prisoners, and Lepers by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson, Potomac Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson ISBN: 9781612347448
Publisher: Potomac Books Publication: July 15, 2015
Imprint: Potomac Books Language: English
Author: Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
ISBN: 9781612347448
Publisher: Potomac Books
Publication: July 15, 2015
Imprint: Potomac Books
Language: English

It has long been held that humans need government to impose social order on a chaotic, dangerous world. How, then, did early humans survive on the Serengeti Plain, surrounded by faster, stronger, and bigger predators in a harsh and forbidding environment? Pirates, Prisoners, and Lepers examines an array of natural experiments and accidents of human history to explore the fundamental nature of how human beings act when beyond the scope of the law. Pirates of the 1700s, the leper colony on Molokai Island, prisoners of the Nazis, hippie communes of the 1970s, shipwreck and plane crash survivors, and many more diverse groups—they all existed in the absence of formal rules, punishments, and hierarchies. Paul and Sarah Robinson draw on these real-life stories to suggest that humans are predisposed to be cooperative, within limits. 

What these “communities” did and how they managed have dramatic implications for shaping our modern institutions. Should today’s criminal justice system build on people’s shared intuitions about justice? Or are we better off acknowledging this aspect of human nature but using law to temper it? Knowing the true nature of our human character and our innate ideas about justice offers a roadmap to a better society.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It has long been held that humans need government to impose social order on a chaotic, dangerous world. How, then, did early humans survive on the Serengeti Plain, surrounded by faster, stronger, and bigger predators in a harsh and forbidding environment? Pirates, Prisoners, and Lepers examines an array of natural experiments and accidents of human history to explore the fundamental nature of how human beings act when beyond the scope of the law. Pirates of the 1700s, the leper colony on Molokai Island, prisoners of the Nazis, hippie communes of the 1970s, shipwreck and plane crash survivors, and many more diverse groups—they all existed in the absence of formal rules, punishments, and hierarchies. Paul and Sarah Robinson draw on these real-life stories to suggest that humans are predisposed to be cooperative, within limits. 

What these “communities” did and how they managed have dramatic implications for shaping our modern institutions. Should today’s criminal justice system build on people’s shared intuitions about justice? Or are we better off acknowledging this aspect of human nature but using law to temper it? Knowing the true nature of our human character and our innate ideas about justice offers a roadmap to a better society.

More books from Potomac Books

Cover of the book Born Under an Assumed Name by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book It's My Country Too by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book Washington DC's Most Wanted™ by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book Stealing Secrets, Telling Lies by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book The Last Crusade by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book Napoleonic Wars: The Essential Bibliography by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book Farragut by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book The Sea Rover's Practice by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book Upstairs at the Roosevelts' by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book War in European History, 14941660 by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book The Last Days of Kim Jong-il by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book The World Factbook by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book Enter the Past Tense by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book Inside a U.S. Embassy by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
Cover of the book Smart Power by Sarah M. Robinson, Paul H. Robinson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy