Something sent by Teddy Moritz, who read it in a book called Defending Jacob, though the quote itself is from the 1921 textbook A General Theory of Human Violence. Despite its seriousness and truth there is just a bit of an air of Wodehouse in the language...
"Let us be practical in our expectations of the Criminal Law....(For) we have merely to imagine, by some trick of time travel, meeting our earliest hominid ancestor, Adam, a proto-man, short of stature, luxuriantly furred, newly bipedal, foraging about on the African savannah three million or so years ago. Now, let us agree that we may pronounce whatever laws we like for this clever little creature, still it would be unwise to pet him."
2 comments:
Well hell, you wouldn't just go up and "pet" some stranger modern human either, would you? Depends on your relationship and familiarity with such! I was great pals with some even more "primitive" primate relatives--wild chimpanzees and Olive Baboons--that it most assuredly would NOT be wise to rudely go up and "pet" without prior introductions! But once you got to know one another and felt you liked each other somewhat, then sure, go for it! Actually, I had baboons and chimps attempt to "pet" me FIRST! We prefer the term "groom", however.......L.B.
Well hell, you wouldn't just go up and "pet" some stranger modern human either, would you? Depends on your relationship and familiarity with such! I was great pals with some even more "primitive" primate relatives--Wild Chimpanzees and Olive Baboons--that it most assuredly would NOT be wise to rudely go up and "pet" without prior introductions! But once you got to know one another and felt you liked and trusted each other somewhat, then sure, go for it! Actually, I had baboons and chimps attempt to "pet" me FIRST! We prefer the term "groom", however.......L.B.
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