Comments on: An eye for an eye http://bevear.org/2008/08/an-eye-for-an-eye/ Nathan's blog Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:43:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: KT http://bevear.org/2008/08/an-eye-for-an-eye/#comment-26 KT Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:23:01 +0000 http://bevear.org/?p=46#comment-26 I did a paper on the ethics of punishment a couple of years ago. It's a wonderfully sticky subject. By the end of it I think I'd concluded that there is no watertight justification for punishment at all, in a strict logical sense; it is better seen as an evil, albeit a necessary one that we're forced into by the actions of others. Those who favour retribution as a justification tend to do so based on the alleged absoluteness and universality of the retributive instinct. I think they're wrong about the absoluteness and universality for a start, and also think they're wrong to normatise it just on that basis. All the other rationales for punishment you mention seem to me worth throwing into the mix of things courts and governments should consider when assigning punishments. But I don't think any of them provide a perfect justification for inflicting suffering on criminals. It's probably healthy for the public to be aware of our own complicity in their suffering - to occasionally think about what we do to them. Not that I think we're wrong to do it; it just seems like a good thing to be aware of. I think this comment sounds really wanky. Sorry. I did a paper on the ethics of punishment a couple of years ago. It’s a wonderfully sticky subject. By the end of it I think I’d concluded that there is no watertight justification for punishment at all, in a strict logical sense; it is better seen as an evil, albeit a necessary one that we’re forced into by the actions of others.

Those who favour retribution as a justification tend to do so based on the alleged absoluteness and universality of the retributive instinct. I think they’re wrong about the absoluteness and universality for a start, and also think they’re wrong to normatise it just on that basis.

All the other rationales for punishment you mention seem to me worth throwing into the mix of things courts and governments should consider when assigning punishments. But I don’t think any of them provide a perfect justification for inflicting suffering on criminals. It’s probably healthy for the public to be aware of our own complicity in their suffering - to occasionally think about what we do to them. Not that I think we’re wrong to do it; it just seems like a good thing to be aware of.

I think this comment sounds really wanky. Sorry.

]]>