## PHIL 181: Philosophy and the Science of Human Nature with Prof. Tamar Gendler

### Lecture 17 - Punishment I [March 22, 2011] | << previous session | next session >>

### Overview:

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

### Reading assignment:

Pojman, Introduction to Philosophy, “Punishment: An Overview” (pp. 441-444

Pojman, Introduction to Philosophy, Kant's “The Right to Punish” (pp. 445-447)

Pojman, Introduction to Philosophy, Rawls's “Two Concepts of Punishment” (pp. 464-468)

### Resources:

Reading Guide 17 [PDF]

Credit List [PDF]

### Transcript

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### Course Media

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