It would be pedagogically misleading to isolate a single criminogenic theory as the bearer of absolute truth and equally wrong to present the theories so objectively that they negate one another. By learning contradictory theories as coexistent and as having a share in the truth according to empirical measures, students gain an overview of criminology as well as an understanding of the nature of all modern science. Most criminology curricula err in overemphasizing data and neglect to impart the fundamental scientific attitude. The crucial skills to be taught are intellectual honesty, critical analysis, and logical consistency in assessing the validity of competing theories. It must be understood that the causal laws of social science indicate greater likelihood instead of absolute certainty of occurrence. On this premise, outmoded ideas such as individual self-determination can be reinstated side by side with modern deterministic thought. Thus, a measure of optimism would be returned to a fatalistic student generation convinced of the absence of freedom, and a rationale would be offered for the therapeutic rehabilitation goals of modern criminal justice. Three footnotes are given.