Rhetorical devices

Antithesis

Antithesis (placing two opposite concepts side by side for comparison or contrasting effect) is used several times in the text to illustrate Sean Spence’s ideas and make his arguments more compelling.

The title of the article, “Bad or Mad?”, is the first example of antithesis we encounter. It serves to introduce the main idea of the article – the debate on whether some criminals can be considered evil or if they are only influenced by natural factors such as mental abnormalities. The title is also intriguing because of the simple terms in which it is expressed.

Also, Spence references Saint Augustine’s distinction between moral evil, done intentionally by humans, and natural evil, which refers to natural disasters and illnesses. This distinction implies two opposite types of evil and serves as a starting point in Spence’s discussion on how our perception of moral evil might be viewed in the light of new scientific evidence about the brain.

Antithesis is also used to create contrast between the current approach to criminals and people who suffer from severe antisocial personality and a potential approach which takes scientific evidence into consideration:

Should courts view evidence of antisocial personality traits as mitigating a violent crime? Should medical treatment supplant punishment? Should psychiatrists be compelled to identify people with these mental abnormalities and incarcerate them for their own good and that of society? (p. 138, ll. 18-22)

The writer then states: “As our scientific knowledge expands, it seems that the space for moral evil contracts.” (p. 139, ll. 3-4). This also cr...