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Parr Center Presents: Linda Radzik (Texas A&M)

February 18 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Linda Radzik, Texas A&M University

February 18, 2025 | 5-6:30 PM | Murphey 116

“The Ethics of Social Punishment”

 

 

Abstract: Philosophical work on punishment is almost exclusively focused on the state’s use of power over citizens. Most philosophers simply ignore the possibility of non-legal punishment. Other authors mention that there are non-legal forms of punishment and then ignore them, often dismissing them as “sub-standard” or “secondary” cases. Some, however, explicitly argue that there is no such thing as non-legal punishment. They dismiss talk of divine punishment or parental punishment as either misuses of the term or mere metaphors. This paper will defend the category of “social punishment” and argue that it is possible for interactions among peers (or social equals) to count as punishment. Then it will apply the classic question, “What is the proper aim of punishment?” to these types of social punishments.

 

Bio: UNC Philosophy alum Linda Radzik is Professor of Philosophy and Thamann Professor in Undergraduate Teaching Excellence at Texas A&M University. She is the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Philosophy Department and has been awarded the Betty M. Unterberger Award for Outstanding Service to Honors Education. She works on moral, political, and legal issues that arise in the aftermath of wrongdoing. She has published on topics including forgiveness, reconciliation, apology, reparations, punishment, tort law, and collective moral responsibility. She is the author of Making Amends: Atonement in Morality, Law, and Politics (Oxford, 2009) and The Ethics of Social Punishment: The Enforcement of Morality in Everyday Life (Cambridge, 2020). She is currently interested in the role of reputation in moral communities and the ways in which reputations may be wronged and repaired. Related issues include defamation, privacy, and the ethics of gossip.

 

Light refreshments will be served at 6:30.

Details

Date:
February 18
Time:
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Event Category:

Organizer

Parr Center for Ethics
Phone
(919) 843-5640
Email
parrcenter@unc.edu
View Organizer Website
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