Ratortunity Theory Is Based on the Notion that Wizards Cause Crime

If the title of this blog post appears odd it won't if (1) you know that Crime Opportunity Theory is based on the infinitely variable and impossible to refute Routine Activities Theory notion of crime opportunity and (2) After you've watched this excellent video on what makes a good explanation in science - and what makes a bad one - by the remarkable Professor David Deutsch:

THIS VIDEO SHOULD BE COMPULSORY VIEWING FOR ALL UK CRIME SCIENTISTS

Skeptic » eSkeptic » Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Skeptic » eSkeptic » Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

The Displacement Brief: Another Home Office Myth?

In a first class dissertation published in the Internet Journal of criminology a Nottingham Trent University Student looks at the parts of research that others failed to reach and exposes odd failure to interview offenders, further  weird decision making and underlying premises behind the conclusions reached in influential research that has been used for over a decade to claim (1) that target hardening property does not displace crime and (2) that is leads to the opposite - the so-called diffusion of benefits claim. Click here to read The Displacement Brief..

The Eleventh Principle

Crime Opportunity Theory is wrong: Because it's (a) not about opportunities at all - only truisms (b) it's not a theory (c)   it does not explain causality (d) its just a description of the elements of a successful crime being committed - something that cannot exist in advance of itself happening, which means it cannot be an opportunity (e) that means its an irrefuatable truism, which means its pseudoscience.


The figure below  does not, as its originators claim, represent an opportunity. It's a Ratortunity because the event is over by this stage if the offender  is KNOWN to be more capable than the guardianship. As every dictionary definition will tell you, an opportunity exists before the event - not after it. And yet Crime Opportunity Theory tells us that ratortunity is not only a cause of crime, but the most important cause.

Spoof on Crime Science faith in ratortunity as a cause of crime reveals that many a true word is written in jest: visit the Crime Science blog: click here to check out the all important eleventh principle.

Pragmatism or Quackery?

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  Dysology

  TOWARDS A SCIENCE OF VERACITY THROUGH REVEALING MYTHS AND FALLACIES AND UNDERSTANDING REASONS FOR BAD SCHOLARSHIP, WEIRD BELIEFS AND STRANGELY UNEXPLORED AREAS OF RESEARCH

Opening topic:

Pragmatic quackery or a rational way to proceeed?

When practitioners in any field – be it economics, ‘self-improvement’, medicine, nutrition, policing or crime reduction say that they are less concerned with problems with the theory that underpins their practise than with the pragmatic need to tackle a particular problem in way that they ‘know’ is effective should our sceptical alarm bells start ringing?

Why Not Join the Dysology dscussion group at Linked[in} today: http://www.linkedin.com/groupsDirectory?results=&sik=1335182640833

 

Should individual scientists care about this? What about religious leaders? What about political leaders?

Research finds believers are less likely to believe in science. Really? OK once we've scored some cheap humor points with that finding it does raise one interesting question. Namely, how might science gain more respect among those who believe in unevidenced entities and who let their belief in those entities run aspects of their lives and thoughts?