Responsibility and Punishment

by J. Angelo Corlett

Overview

Corlett (philosophy, San Diego State U.) considers theories of responsibility and punishment and presents a defense of retributivism. He contends that most anti-retributivist arguments refute a version of retributivism that is so extreme that not even Kant would subscribe to it or that such objections count equally against every positive theory of punishment. Coverage extends to an examination of the idea of reparations to Native Americans for crimes committed against them by the U.S. government.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789401704212
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	03/14/2013
Series:	Library of Ethics and Applied Philosophy , #9
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	332 KB

About the Author

J. Angelo Corlett is Professor of Philosophy & Ethics at San Diego State University, and author of over 75 articles in various leading philosophy and other academic journals, including the books: Analyzing Social Knowledge (Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1996); Terrorism: A Philosophical Analysis (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003), Philosophical Studies Series, Volume 101; Race, Racism, and Reparations (Cornell University Press, 2003). He also serves as the Editor-in –Chief of The Journal of Ethics: An International Philosophical Review (Springer), and is the editor of and contributor to Equality and Liberty: Analyzing Rawls and Nozick (Macmillan, 1990).

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
1	Introduction	1
2	The Problem of Responsibility	7
3	The Problem of Punishment	18
4	Foundations of a Kantian Retributivism	32
5	Assessing Retributivism	49
6	Forgiveness, Mercy, and Retributivism	77
7	The Problem of Collective Responsibility	88
8	Corporate Responsibility and Punishment	101
9	Collective Wrongdoing, Reparations, and Native Americans	114
10	Conclusion	149
	List of Sources	152
	Index	166

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews of the third edition:

“In the Third Edition of Responsibility and Punishment, Angelo Corlett has made an outstanding book even better! Corlett's book is distinctive in the way it blends abstract theory with concrete application in a sophisticated way. There is work just on theory, and primarily applied work; but Corlett manages to meld the two in a unique and highly successful way. Highly recommended!” (John Martin Fischer, author of “The Metaphysics of Free Will” and “Responsibility and Control”)

“This provocative and highly insightful piece of work constitutes a novel, significant, and welcome contribution to the literature on the moral justification of punishment. Corlett's development of an original version of retributivism, with special emphasis on principles of proportional punishment, is particularly engaging.” (Ishtiyaque Haji, author of “Deontic Morality” and “Moral Appraisability”)

"J. Angelo Corlett, in Responsibility and Punishment 3^rd edition, argues that to take justice seriously, the state is obligated to punish criminal offenders like the Garridos in proportion to the harm they have caused. He argues for a theory of retributive punishment in which criminals receive punishment based on the degree to which they are responsible. … I recommend it to anyone interested in questions of moral responsibility and questions about punishment." (Josef Thomas Simpson, Metapsychology Online Reviews, Vol.13 (48), November, 2009)

From the Publisher