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  • © 2013

Honor and Revenge: A Theory of Punishment

  • First book to expound a new theory that provides a rational foundation for the practice of punishment
  • Provides a moral defense of revenge in a way never before attempted
  • Gives a concise but systematic summary of the current state of the debate
  • Is written at a level that is accessible to researchers and practitioners alike, avoiding technical philosophical jargon or abstruse issues in philosophy

Part of the book series: Law and Philosophy Library (LAPS, volume 104)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vii
  2. The Problem of Punishment

    • Whitley R. P. Kaufman
    Pages 1-18
  3. Punishment as Crime Prevention

    • Whitley R. P. Kaufman
    Pages 19-45
  4. Can Retributive Punishment Be Justified?

    • Whitley R. P. Kaufman
    Pages 47-72
  5. The Mixed Theory of Punishment

    • Whitley R. P. Kaufman
    Pages 73-92
  6. Retribution and Revenge

    • Whitley R. P. Kaufman
    Pages 93-112
  7. What Is the Purpose of Retribution?

    • Whitley R. P. Kaufman
    Pages 113-146
  8. Making Sense of Honor

    • Whitley R. P. Kaufman
    Pages 147-166
  9. Is Punishment Justified?

    • Whitley R. P. Kaufman
    Pages 167-191
  10. Back Matter

    Pages 193-203

About this book

This book addresses the problem of justifying the institution of criminal punishment.   It examines the “paradox of retribution”: the fact that we cannot seem to reject the intuition that punishment is morally required, and yet we cannot (even after two thousand years of philosophical debate) find a morally legitimate basis for inflicting harm on wrongdoers.  The book comes at a time when a new “abolitionist” movement has arisen, a movement that argues that we should give up the search for justification and accept that punishment is morally unjustifiable and should be discontinued immediately.  This book, however, proposes a new approach to the retributive theory of punishment, arguing that it should be understood in its traditional formulation that has been long forgotten or dismissed: that punishment is essentially a defense of the honor of the victim.  Properly understood, this can give us the possibility of a legitimate moral justification for the institution of punishment.​

Authors and Affiliations

  • , Department of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, USA

    Whitley R.P. Kaufman

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access