Insanity

Catalog description

This seminar explores the law of insanity in depth. After a preliminary discussion about abolishing the defense altogether, we will study: insanity before M'Naghten, the rule set forth in M'Naghten, the irresistible impulse test, and the product test. We then look at two academic proposals: according to one, insanity is a form of profound irrationality; according to the other, insanity is a lost sense of agency. We end with a look at psychopathy.