Lecture 17: Punishment I (PHIL 181)
This lecture introduces the concept of civil punishment, distinguishing between forward-looking and backward-looking justifications. It examines retributivism in detail and connects various theories of punishment to foundational moral frameworks such as utilitarianism and deontology.
Philosophy and the Science of Human Nature (PHIL 181)
Professor Gendler begins with a discussion of differing responses to hypothetical and actual examples, and offers an actual example of a Trolley Problem. Then, the central topic of the lecture, punishment, is presented. After offering a characterization of what civil punishment involves, Professor Gendler discusses various justifications that have been offered of the practice. She distinguishes between justifications that are forward-looking and those that are backward-looking, and between justifications that are primarily victim-directed and those that are primarily offender-directed. These outlooks are then connected to the moral views that have been presented in earlier lectures: Utilitarianism and deontology.
Lecture 16: Philosophical Puzzles (PHIL 181)
Next · Lecture 18Lecture 18: Punishment II (PHIL 181)