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Lethal Innovation: The Nexus of Criminology, War, and Malevolent Creativity

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The Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and War

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Abstract

Whether viewed as a characteristic of the individual, a quality of an artefact, a way of arriving at a solution, or as a feature of the organisational environment, creativity embodies positive problem-solving. However, there is a growing recognition that the same personal qualities that facilitate creativity—for example, motivation, courage, risk-taking—can also serve negative ends. These outcomes may be not merely accidental but may involve deliberate intent to do harm. War, criminology, and creativity intersect when studying aspects of the person, the cognitive processes, the product, and the organisational climate that simultaneously facilitate outcomes in all three domains. What is malevolent creativity in the context of war and crime? What facilitates or hinders it? How can it be understood and controlled?

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    David H. Cropley

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  1. David H. Cropley
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Liverpool, UK, LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom

    Ross McGarry

  2. Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Liverpool, UK, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Sandra Walklate

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Cropley, D.H. (2016). Lethal Innovation: The Nexus of Criminology, War, and Malevolent Creativity. In: McGarry, R., Walklate, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Criminology and War. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43170-7_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43170-7_19

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-43169-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-43170-7

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