- English
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eBook - ePub
About this book
In Moral Desert, Howard Simmons notes that the idea that we deserve to be praised or rewarded for good behavior and blamed or punished when we act badly seems central to everyone's moral deliberation and practices. Simmons subjects this assumption to critical scrutiny. He argues that in a wide range of cases it is almost impossible to know the extent of people's moral responsibility, and indeed that it may be a complete delusion. He attacks the still-popular theory of retributive punishment, with special reference to the views of Peter French and J. Angelo Corlett. Simmons does not conclude that punishment is always unjustified, but insists that any justification should relate to its real world consequences. State punishment should be inflicted according to strict consequentialist precepts, and the author provides systematic principles for determining an appropriate sentence and for deciding when offenders should be excused. He also considers the implications of his views for distributive justice and personal morality.
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Moral Desert by Howard Simmons in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Law Theory & Practice. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Preface
- 1. Quandaries of Desert
- 2. The Implications of Determinism
- 3. Retributivism
- 4. A Utilitarian Approach to Punishment
- 5. Utilitarian Punishment in Detail
- 6. Effort and Distributive Justice
- 7. Morality and Blame
- 8. Conclusion: Desert Skeptics in a vengeful world
- Appendix
- References
- Index