Done

FinSaint · 09-25-2012, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by alexonfyre

I'm in law school, and one of the first things you learn about evidence is that just because MOST people act or perform a certain way is totally irrelevant to determining how this person did or will act.

Well, that is pretty contrary to what, for example, psychology and sociology teach us.

Naturally you can't look at statistics and say with a 100% certainty that a certain person will act in a certain way in a certain situation based on, for example, some of his characteristics. But you can make an educated guess based on statistical probabilities based on previously gathered data(evidence) as to the likelihood of the said person acting in a certain way under certain circumstances.

I would think that the same principles could be applied to the science of law, and they are in a way, IMO, when a lawyer tries to convince the jury that they'd act in a same way, in the same type of a situation, and under the same circumstances as did the defendant. And, therefore, they should be lenient when deciding on the verdict. I mean in the end, it comes down to behavioral science, and in a way most of us are "programmed" by our society to act in a certain way in a certain situation, the "outliers" to this being sociopaths.

But I do agree with your assessment of the situation the Saints are in now, and the uniqueness of the situation does make making educated guesses based on statistical evidence very hard.

Furthermore, I confess that I know very little about how investigations into matters of the law are conducted, so I'm sure your statement above holds strength, at least how it pertains to the field of law.

09-25-2012, 05:36 PM	#6
FinSaint Site Donor 2015 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Finland... formerly Southern Virginia Posts: 4,963	Re: Done Originally Posted by alexonfyre I'm in law school, and one of the first things you learn about evidence is that just because MOST people act or perform a certain way is totally irrelevant to determining how this person did or will act. Well, that is pretty contrary to what, for example, psychology and sociology teach us. Naturally you can't look at statistics and say with a 100% certainty that a certain person will act in a certain way in a certain situation based on, for example, some of his characteristics. But you can make an educated guess based on statistical probabilities based on previously gathered data(evidence) as to the likelihood of the said person acting in a certain way under certain circumstances. I would think that the same principles could be applied to the science of law, and they are in a way, IMO, when a lawyer tries to convince the jury that they'd act in a same way, in the same type of a situation, and under the same circumstances as did the defendant. And, therefore, they should be lenient when deciding on the verdict. I mean in the end, it comes down to behavioral science, and in a way most of us are "programmed" by our society to act in a certain way in a certain situation, the "outliers" to this being sociopaths. But I do agree with your assessment of the situation the Saints are in now, and the uniqueness of the situation does make making educated guesses based on statistical evidence very hard. Furthermore, I confess that I know very little about how investigations into matters of the law are conducted, so I'm sure your statement above holds strength, at least how it pertains to the field of law. SloMotion likes this.
	"I'm not bashing people, I'm bashing their opinions because in my opinion their opinion is wrong" - Danno

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