Episode 256: The Right to Punish?

Very Bad Wizards

Tamler Sommers & David Pizarro

Society & Culture, Philosophy

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2023

⏱️ 97 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Here’s an episode with something for both of us – a healthy serving of Kantian rationalism for David with a dollop of Marxist criminology for Tamler. We discuss and then argue about Jeffrie Murphy’s 1971 paper “Marxism and Retribution.” For Murphy, utilitarianism is non-starter as a theory of punishment because it can’t justify the right of the state to inflict suffering on criminals. Retributivism respects the autonomy of individuals so it can justify punishment in principle – but not in practice, at least not in a capitalist system. So it ends up offering a transcendental sanction of the status quo. We debate the merits of Murphy’s attack on Rawls and social contract theory under capitalism, along with the Marxist analysis of the roots of criminal behavior.

Plus – the headline says it all: Blame The Brain, Not Bolsonaro, For Brazil’s Riots.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Very bad wizards is a podcast with a philosopher, my dad, and a psychologist, Dave Pizarro,
0:05.9	having an informal discussion about issues and signs and ethics.
0:09.4	Please note that the discussion contains bad words that I'm out of allow to say,
0:13.6	and knowing my dad some very inappropriate jokes.
0:17.1	Bad people go to hell. I don't think so. You think that? At that way.
0:21.3	How exists on earth? Yes.
0:51.3	They think they're false and with no more brains than you have.
0:56.1	They do our attention.
0:58.1	Come on, man.
0:59.5	Anybody can have a brain?
1:04.7	You're a very bad man.
1:08.7	I'm a very good man. Just a very bad wizard.
1:14.0	Welcome to very bad wizards. I'm Tamler Summers from the University of Houston.
1:17.7	Dave, the notorious candy mom, former VBW guest Agnes Callard is back in the news again.
1:24.8	This time, the subject of like, I don't know, 90,000 word, New Yorker profile
1:31.2	about her molecule with her ex-husband and former student now husband.
1:37.6	What is it about this University of Chicago ancient philosopher that you liberal elites
1:43.2	find so fascinating? You're the East Coast liberal elite. You tell me.
1:47.3	Does she just have an amazing agent who is pitching New Yorker journalist stories about marriage?
1:53.6	Like, I don't get it. I really don't. I don't have anything bad to say about Agnes Callard.
1:58.5	I just don't understand the fashion. Oh my god. They've gotten to you too.
2:04.4	I just don't get it. I skimmed as you did. Skimmed that article.
	...

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