Resumen de Analyzing philosophy in rhetoric: Darrow's mechanism in the defense of Leopold and Loeb
As an avowed proponent of mechanistic doctrine, Clarence Darrow subscribed to the view that human actions are determined by heredity and environment, and free will does not exist. This view often anchored Darrow's strategies as a defense counsel, since it allowed him to argue that his clients were unwitting victims of unfortunate circumstances. Darrow was pressed to exploit more subtle adaptations of mechanistic doctrines in his “defense” of Leopold and Loeb, however, because the defendants enjoyed the advantages of privilege and wealth. Darrow's adaptive techniques and their probative force are examined here as a rhetorical paradox.
