The Murderer Next Door: Why the Mind is Designed to Kill.THE MURDERER NEXT DOOR: Why the Mind Is Designed to Kill DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. M. BUSS While serial killers such as John Wayne Gacy John Wayne Gacy (b. March 17 1942, Chicago, Illinois - d. May 10 1994, Crest Hill, Illinois), also known as The Killer Clown, was an American serial killer. He was convicted and later executed for the rape and murder of 33 boys and young men, 29 of whom he buried in a and Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (born November 12, 1934) is a career criminal who led the so-called Manson Family, a commune or cult that began to form around him in the U.S. city of San Francisco in 1967. rule the headlines, they account for only 1 percent of all murders committed. The majority of murders are perpetrated by ordinary citizens, and most of those killers are men who kill only once. In this intriguing book, Buss proposes that the human mind has been evolutionarily programmed to kill. In short, people kill under very specific circumstances most often involving reproductive competition. The struggle to find and keep a suitable mate has led many people to resort to drastic measures. Buss developed his controversial theory after studying thousands of FBI case files and conducting several studies of homicidal hom·i·cid·al adj. 1. Of or relating to homicide. 2. Capable of or conducive to homicide: a homicidal rage. fantasies. He found that, worldwide, most murders are committed by young men who kill other men, most women are killed by mates or former mates, and women most often kill men who harm them or their offspring. These and other examples offer powerful support for the author's evolutionary theory and give the reader a startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. , and at times unsettlingly familiar, glimpse into the mind of a killer. Penguin Press HC, 2005, 288 p., hardcover, $24. 95. |
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