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319Kant's Theory of PunishmentUtilitas 15 (2): 206. 2003.The most widespread interpretation amongst contemporary theorists of Kant's theory of punishment is that it is retributivist. On the contrary, I will argue there are very different senses in which Kant discusses punishment. He endorses retribution for moral law transgressions and consequentialist considerations for positive law violations. When these standpoints are taken into consideration, Kant's theory of punishment is more coherent and unified than previously thought. This reading uncovers a…Read more
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11New Waves in Gobal Justice (edited book)Palgrave-MacMillan. 2014.With essays ranging from climate change and global poverty to just war and human rights and immigration, leading future figures present an ideal collection for anyone interested in the most important debates in global justice.
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34A Critique of Pragmatism and Deliberative DemocracyTransactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 45 (1): 50-54. 2009.Robert B. Talisse's A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy is a genuine tour de force. His aim is both to defend a particular view of pragmatism originating with the work of Charles Sanders Peirce and, at the same time, argue in favour of a new view of deliberative democracy developed from Talisse's Peircean pragmatism. The result is a stunning achievement with real persuasive power. In this article, I will focus on one worry, namely, that the picture of democracy on offer is incomplete. While Tal…Read more
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2Thom Brooks book review of Theodor W. Adorno, Metaphysics: Concepts and Problems (review)Philosophy in Review 23 (3): 160-163. 2003.Thom Brooks reviews two books by Theodor Adorno
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36Just War Theory (edited book)Brill. 2012.Just War Theory raises some of the most pressing and important philosophical issues of our day. This book brings together some of the most important essays in this area written by leading scholars and offering significant contributions to how we understand just war theory
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31Becoming British: UK Citizenship ExaminedBiteback. 2016.From Syrian asylum seekers to super-rich foreign investors, immigration is one of the most controversial issues facing Britain today. Politicians kick the subject from one election to the next with energetic but ineffectual promises to ‘crack down’, while newspaper editors plaster it across front pages. But few know the truth behind the headlines; indeed, the almost daily changes to our complex immigration laws pile up so quickly that even the officials in charge struggle to keep up. In this cle…Read more
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216The Academic Journal Editor—Secrets RevealedJournal of Moral Philosophy 9 (3): 313-325. 2012.My advice for journal editors - and not only editors of philosophy journals - for how to edit journals. Secrets shared from over 10 years of experiences with different journals and publishers.
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17Is Hegel A Retributionist? Graduate Essay Prize Runner UpBulletin of the Hegel Society of Great Britain 49 113-126. 2004.Amongst contemporary theorists, the most widespread interpretation of Hegel's theory of punishment is that it is a retributivist theory of annulment, where punishments cancel the performance of crimes. The theory is retributivist insofar as the criminal punished must be demonstrated to be deserving of a punishment that is commensurable in value only to the nature of his crime, rather than to any consequentialist considerations. As Antony Duff says: [retributivism] justifies punishment in terms …Read more
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69Remedial responsibilities beyond nationsJournal of Global Ethics 10 (2): 156-166. 2014.David Miller's theory of nationalism and national responsibility offers the leading alternative ‘anticosmopolitan’ theory of global justice. His theory claims that ‘nations’ may be held responsible for the benefits and harms resulting from their collective decisions. Nations may be held remedially responsible to help nations in need even where the former lack causal or moral responsibility, for example. This article critically examines Miller's position that remedial responsibilities – the respo…Read more
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Thom Brooks reviews Colin Tyler, "Thomas Hill Green 1836-1882 And The Philosophical Foundations Of Politics: An Internal Critique" (review)Bulletin of the Hegel Society of Great Britain 51 141-144. 2005.Thom Brooks reviews Tyler on TH Green.
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91How Not to Save the PlanetEthics, Policy and Environment 19 (2): 119-135. 2016.Climate change presents us with perhaps the most pressing challenge today. But is it a problem we can solve? This article argues that existing conservationist and adaptation approaches fail to satisfy their objectives. A second issue that these approaches disagree about how best to end climate change, but accept that it is a problem that can be solved. I believe this view is mistaken: a future environmental catastrophe is an event we might at best postpone, but not avoid. This raises new ethical…Read more
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923Retributivist arguments against capital punishmentJournal of Social Philosophy 35 (2). 2004.This article argues that even if we grant that murderers may deserve death in principle, retributivists should still oppose capital punishment. The reason? Our inability to know with certainty whether or not individuals possess the necessary level of desert. In large part due to advances in science, we can only be sure that no matter how well the trial is administered or how many appeals are allowed or how many years we let elapse, we will continue to execute innocent persons for as long as we l…Read more
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408Between natural law and legal positivism: Dworkin and Hegel on legal theoryGeorgia State University Law Review 23 (3): 513-60. 2007.In this article, I argue that - despite the absence of any clear influence of one theory on the other - the legal theories of Dworkin and Hegel share several similar and, at times, unique positions that join them together within a distinctive school of legal theory, sharing a middle position between natural law and legal positivism. In addition, each theory can help the other in addressing certain internal difficulties. By recognizing both Hegel and Dworkin as proponents of a position lying in b…Read more
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144Publishing advice for graduate studentsSocial Science Research Network 1 1-31. 2008.Graduate students often lack concrete advice on publishing. This essay is an attempt to fill this important gap. Advice is given on how to publish everything from book reviews to articles, replies to book chapters, and how to secure both edited book contracts and authored monograph contracts, along with plenty of helpful tips and advice on the publishing world (and how it works) along the way in what is meant to be a comprehensive, concrete guide to publishing that should be of tremendous value …Read more
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Review Symposium: Hiding from Humanity by Martha NussbaumJournal of Applied Philosophy 25 (4): 291-349. 2008.
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119Punishment and Moral SentimentsReview of Metaphysics 66 (2): 281-93. 2012.Adam Smith's theory of punishment is rarely explored. This article examines his understanding of punishment in light of his theory of moral sentiments. My aim is to show how he is neither a retributivist or deterrence advocate, but instead defends a more unified theory of punishment bringing different penal goals together in a new framework.
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216PunishmentOxford Bibliographies Online. 2010.The punishment of criminals is a topic of long-standing philosophical interest since the ancient Greeks. This interest has focused on several considerations, including the justification of punishment, who should be permitted to punish, and how we might best set punishments for crimes. This entry focuses on the most important contributions in this field. The focus will be on specific theoretical approaches to punishment including both traditional theories of punishment (retributivism, deterrence,…Read more
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31The Oxford Handbook of Global Justice (edited book)Oxford University Press. 2020.Global justice is an exciting area of refreshing, innovative new ideas for a changing world facing significant challenges. Not only does work in this area often force us to rethink about ethics and political philosophy more generally, but its insights contain seeds of hope for addressing some of the greatest global problems facing humanity today. The Oxford Handbook of Global Justice has been selective in bringing together some of the most pressing topics and issues in global justice as understo…Read more
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1James Connelly's Metaphysics, Method And Politics: The Political Philosophy Of R.G.Collingwood (review)Bulletin of the Hegel Society of Great Britain 55 198-200. 2007.
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152Shame on you, shame on me? Nussbaum on shame punishmentJournal of Applied Philosophy 25 (4): 322-334. 2008.abstract Shame punishments have become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional punishments, often taking the form of convicted criminals holding signs or sweeping streets with a toothbrush. In her Hiding from Humanity, Martha Nussbaum argues against the use of shame punishments because they contribute to an offender's loss of dignity. However, these concerns are shared already by the courts which also have concerns about the possibility that shaming might damage an offender's dignity…Read more
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49Defending Punishment. Replies to CriticsPhilosophy and Public Issues - Filosofia E Questioni Pubbliche 5 (1). 2015.I am very grateful to the contributors for this symposium for their essays on my Punishment book. Each focuses with different elements of my work. Antony Duff examines the definition of punishment in my first few pages. Michelle Madden Dempsey analyses the importance given to coherence in my account and critique of expressivist theories of punishment. Richard Lippke considers my statements about negative retributivism in an important new defence of that approach. I examine each of these in turn …Read more
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24Is Bradley a retributivist?History of Political Thought 32 (1): 83-95. 2011.Perhaps the least controversial area of F.H. Bradley's writings relates to his views on punishment. Commentators universally recognize Bradley's theory of punishment as a retributivist theory of punishment. This article challenges the received wisdom. I argue that Bradley does not endorse retributivism as commonly understood. Instead, he defends the view that punishment is non-retributivist and serves the end of societal maintenance. Moreover, Bradley defends this view consistently from Ethical …Read more
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30Review of A. Raghuramaraju, Debates in Indian Philosophy: Classical, Colonial, and Contemporary (review)Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 2006 (12). 2006.
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14Current Controversies in Political Philosophy (edited book)Routledge. 2013.Current Controversies in Political Philosophy brings together an international team of leading philosophers to explore and debate four key and dynamic issues in the field in an accessible way. Should we all be cosmopolitans? – Gillian Brock and Cara Nine Are rights important? – Rowan Cruft and Sonu Bedi Is sexual objectification wrong and, if so, why? – Lina Papadaki and Scott Anderson What to do about climate change? – Alexa Zellentin and Thom Brooks These questions are the focus of intense deb…Read more
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116Hegel’s Ambiguous Contribution to Legal TheoryRes Publica 11 (1): 85-94. 2005.Hegel's legacy is particularly controversial, not least in legal theory. He has been classified as a proponent of either natural law, legal positivism, the historical school, pre-Marxism, postmodern critical theory, and even transcendental legal theory. To what degree has Hegel actually influenced contemporary legal theorists? This review article looks at Michael Salter's collection Hegel and Law. I look at articles on civil disobedience, contract law, feminism, and punishment. I conclude noting…Read more
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Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Law |
Social and Political Philosophy |
19th Century Philosophy |