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Free Will in the Genomic Era

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Oedipus Rex in the Genomic Era

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Abstract

This chapter delves into control, free will, attributional errors, judgement and punishment—major themes of Oedipus Rex. Through the actions of Oedipus and other characters, the chapter demonstrates confusions and delusions that people still hold about will, 25 centuries on from Sophocles’ exploration of these themes. The chapter examines Sophocles’ ingenious trick, used in Oedipus Rex: the same crime is unwittingly judged differently by the same judge (Oedipus) every time his perspective changes. These judgements are used to demonstrate the inherent flaws in the justice process. The chapter concludes that in the Genomic Era, we can use our understanding of the human behaviour to improve our judgements and avoid tragedies experienced by characters of Sophocles’ immortal plays.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Professional Studies, Science & Technology, Goldsmiths University of London, London, UK

    Yulia Kovas

  2. Barrister (England and Wales); Attorney and Counselor at Law (NY State), Goldsmiths University of London, London, UK

    Fatos Selita

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  1. Yulia Kovas
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  2. Fatos Selita
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Correspondence to Yulia Kovas .

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Kovas, Y., Selita, F. (2021). Free Will in the Genomic Era. In: Oedipus Rex in the Genomic Era. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-96048-4_3

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