Follow your curiosity

What discovery has been shared with you?

FACTREE gives you something interesting to discover every day — and something worth talking about together.

Start with one fact. Explore it, go deeper, then follow whichever branch catches your imagination.

Choose subjects for a surprise

Exploring any topic

Begin your discovery

Your next discovery is one click away.

Choose one or more subjects above, or leave Any Topic selected and let curiosity decide.

Philosophy

Mens Rea Requirements in Criminal Statutes

Quick fact

The Model Penal Code's four culpable mental states—purpose, knowledge, recklessness, and negligence—are used by most U.S. states and have been a major force in standardizing how criminal statutes define the required mental state.

Why this is interesting

If a person accidentally kills someone, should they be punished as harshly as a deliberate murderer? The law's answer often hinges on the concept of 'mens rea'—the guilty mind.