Our Growing Intolerance of Violence, As Heard in the Courtroom

D-brief
By Carl Engelking
Jun 16, 2014 7:31 PMNov 20, 2019 5:38 AM
Old_Bailey_Microcosm_edited.jpg

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

An Old Bailey trial, circa 1808. (Credit: Thomas Rowlandson/Bridgeman) Author E.M. Forster is purported to have written, "How do I know what I think until I see what I say?" The same principle has now been applied to understand what society thought about violence hundreds of years ago – by seeing what they said in the courtroom. Scientists performed a linguistic analysis of digitized trial transcripts from the Old Bailey, London’s oldest criminal court, to reveal society’s stricter attitudes toward violence between 1760 and 1913. Their study presents the first hard data on the emergence of societal norms and bureaucratic systems meant to control violent behavior.

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2025 LabX Media Group