Roxanne Jones: Let's say that the conditions of capitalist society lead Bernie Madoff to do what he does, just like they lead poor people. It seems as if Bernie made off meets the criteria for blameworthiness on a Strossonian account. If he does, and he was still influenced by capitalism to commit that crime, then why couldn't a poor person who decides to commit a crime also meet those? "I feel like you would need something in addition to the economic analysis," she says.
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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