|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Age of Reason
AGE OF REASONThe age at which a child is considered capable of acting responsibly. Under common law, seven was the age of reason. Children under the age of seven were conclusively presumed incapable of committing a crime because they did not possess the reasoning ability to understand that their conduct violated the standards of acceptable community behavior. Those between the ages of seven and fourteen were presumed incapable of committing a crime, but this presumption could be overcome by evidence, such as the child having possession of the gun immediately after the shooting. The rebuttable presumption for this age group was based on the assumption that, as the child grew older, he or she learned to differentiate between right and wrong. A child over the age of fourteen was considered to be fully responsible for his or her actions. Many states have modified the age of criminal responsibility by statute. All states have enacted legislation creating juvenile courts to handle the adjudication of young persons, usually under eighteen, for criminal conduct rather than have them face criminal prosecution as an adult. However, a child of thirteen who commits a violent crime may be tried as an adult in many jurisdictions. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Age of Reason." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Age of Reason." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437700200.html "Age of Reason." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437700200.html |
|
Age of Reason
Age of Reason, The, deistic work by Thomas Paine, published in two parts (Paris, 1794–95). Between the writing of the first and second parts, Paine spent 11 months in prison because of his activities in the French Revolution.
Part I affirms the existence of God and offers proofs from the arguments of design and first cause. The knowledge of God has been obscured, according to the author, by the calumnies of the Bible and all national institutions of churches, which are no more than “human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” Man's moral duty should be to observe the real and ever‐existing word of God in the creation, and to strive to imitate this beneficence. Part II is mainly an attack on the Bible, pointing out the cruelty of Moses, the folly of Solomon, the exaggerations of the prophets, the improbability of Jesus' miraculous birth, and the general inconsistency that renders the Bible fallible. |
|
|
Cite this article
James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Age of Reason." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Age of Reason." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-AgeofReason.html James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Age of Reason." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-AgeofReason.html |
|
age of reason
age of reason. The age at which a child may be supposed to be capable of discerning right from wrong and therefore of being responsible for his conduct. In RC moral theology this is held to be reached at about 7 years.
|
|
|
Cite this article
E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "age of reason." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "age of reason." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-ageofreason.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "age of reason." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-ageofreason.html |
|
Age of Reason
Age of Reason see Enlightenment . |
|
|
Cite this article
"Age of Reason." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Age of Reason." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Reason-A.html "Age of Reason." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Reason-A.html |
|
Reason, Age of
Reason, Age of See ENLIGHTENMENT.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Reason, Age of." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Reason, Age of." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-ReasonAgeof.html "Reason, Age of." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-ReasonAgeof.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
