If the oldest and most systematic philosophical account of punishment is debt-based, the claim that 'core' retributivism centers on desert requires defeating that historical foundation, not stipulating past it.

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Core retributivism(as used in philosophy of law): The most fundamental or essential version of retributivism—the central idea at the heart of the theory.
Debt-based (theory of punishment)(as used in history of punishment philosophy): An older view that sees punishment like repaying a debt: if you commit a crime, you 'owe' society something that must be paid back through punishment.
Desert (in philosophy)(as used in ethics and justice theory): What someone deserves or has earned, usually through their actions; in this context, the idea that punishment is deserved as a moral response to committing a wrong.
Retributivism(as used in ethics and justice philosophy): A theory of punishment that says people deserve to be punished in proportion to the harm they caused—the worse the crime, the harsher the punishment should be.

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