PHILOS 2G03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Retributive Justice
Document Summary
Philosopher we"re going to be talking about is being honest to his commitments. We finished up with our utilitarian approach to justifying punishment. Kant values autonomy more than happiness - his ethics are based on the idea that we should always have a respect for peoples" ability of moral thought. Kant embraces retributivism - state punishment is justified because it pays back people for their wrong deeds by making them suffer . Kant"s position became associated with the position of jus talionis - (an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth) Philosophers now try to explain kant"s position. With this in mind he says that the role of punishment is obvious and simple - the law will come along and subject people who free themselves from burdens to the additional burden of punishment. We can understand punishment as paying people back for trying to cheat their way out of their burdens.