Innocence
555881
225108506
2008-07-11T22:33:45Z
Neelix
1169106
[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225107829 by [[Special:Contributions/Neelix|Neelix]] ([[User talk:Neelix|talk]]) Not as applicable as I thought it was.
{{For|other uses of "Innocence" and "Innocent"|Innocence (disambiguation)}}
{{Unreferenced|date=October 2007}}
[[Image:Bouguereau-Linnocence.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bouguereau]]'s ''L'Innocence'': Both young children and lamb are symbols of innocence.]]
'''Innocence''' is a term that describes the lack of [[guilt]] of an individual, with respect to a [[crime]]. It may also be used to indicate a general lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, [[sin]], or wrongdoing. Its antonym is corruption.
It can also refer to a state of unknowing, where one's [[experience]] is lesser, in either a relative view to social peers, or by an absolute comparison to a more common normative scale. In contrast to [[Ignorance|''ignorance'']], it is generally viewed as a positive term, connoting a blissfully positive view of the world, in particular one where the lack of knowledge stems from a lack of wrongdoing, whereas greater knowledge comes from doing wrong. This connotation may be connected with a popular [[false etymology]] explaining "innocent" as meaning "not knowing" (Latin ''noscere''). The actual etmology is from general negation prefix ''in-'' and the Latin ''nocere'', "evil" or "guilty".
People who lack the mental capacity to understand the nature of their acts may be regarded as innocent regardless of their behavior. From this meaning comes the term ''innocent'' to refer to a child under the [[Age of reason (canon law)|age of reason]], or a person, of any age, who is severely [[mentally disabled]].
In some cases, the term of "innocence" connotes a [[pejorative]] meaning, where an assumed level of experience dictates common discourse or baseline qualifications for entry into another, different, social experience. Since experience is the prime factor in determining a person's [[perspective (cognitive)|point of view]], innocence is often also used to imply an ignorance or lack of personal and stupidness. [[experience]].
[[Category:Virtues]]
[[de:Unschuld]]
[[es:Inocencia]]
[[fr:Innocence (caractère)]]
[[ru:Невинность]]
[[simple:Innocence]]