Referred to as motivation for Jack Shaftoe's actions in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, it begins with a philosophical discussion about science, especially phrenology.
Referred to as motivation for Jack Shaftoe's actions in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, it begins with a philosophical discussion about science, especially phrenology. The narrator relates the story of how he murdered a man and lived contently until he was comforted with the condition mentioned in the title, which the author describes as: "a paradoxical something…a mobile without a motive." It has been adapted as a metaphor, generally referring to the tendency for children and other miscreants to do the exact wrong thing in a given situation. The narrator is finally forced to confess and it ends with the line, "To-day I wear these chains, and am here! To-morrow I shall be fetterless!–but where?" For ten points name this short story about an underdeveloped man and his condition, written by Edgar Allen Poe.
Referred to as motivation for Jack Shaftoe's actions in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, it begins with a philosophical discussion about science, especially phrenology.
“{The Imp of the Perverse}”