John Rawls: Is there just greed and human nature that's independent of capitalism? Murphy asks, why give egoism this special status such that it is built a priori into the analysis of the concept of rationality? Starting from such an analysis, a certain result is inevitable, namely a transcendental sanction for the status quo. And I do also think that it undermines his right individual rights respecting necessary condition at the beginning as well.
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.
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