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    Carmelics

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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    Home/Original/inverse
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    Inverse View

    It is not the case that Retributivism is intuitively appealing as a theory of punishment.

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    Reasons For

    2 perspectives
    Reason for 1 of 2
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    • 1.Intuitions about punishment are heavily shaped by cultural, retributive norms rather than reflecting universal moral truths.
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    • 2.Nietzsche's genealogical analysis in 'On the Genealogy of Morality' shows retributive intuitions trace to creditor-debtor relations and cruelty, not justice.
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    • 3.An intuition whose historical origins are contingent and morally suspect cannot serve as independent justification for a punishment theory.
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    Reason for 2 of 2
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    • 1.The intuition that proportionate punishment is permissible underdetermines retributivism, since consequentialist theories can also prohibit disproportionate punishment.
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    • 2.P.F. Strawson's reactive attitudes framework shows punishment intuitions can be grounded in relational standing rather than desert-based metaphysics.
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    • 3.Retributivism's claim to unique intuitive support fails if competing theories accommodate the same moral data without positing backward-looking desert obligations.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
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    • Retributivism captures the widely shared sense that it is always or nearly always impermissible to inflict punishment on those who have done no wrong and to inflict disproportionately large punishments on those who have done some wrong.
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