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Thomas Aquinas and the Philosophy of Punishment explores how Aquinas's understandings of natural law and the common good apply to the contemporary philosophical discussion of punitive justice. It is the first book-length study to consider this question in decades, and the only book that confronts modern views of the topic.


Peter Karl Koritansky presents Thomas Aquinas's theory of punishment as an alternative to the leading schools of thought that have dominated the philosophical landscape in recent times, namely, utilitarianism and retributivism. After carefully examining each one and tracing its roots back to Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham, Koritansky concludes that neither approach to punitive justice is able to provide a philosophically compelling justification for the institution of punishment. He explains how St. Thomas approaches the same philosophical questions from a markedly different set of assumptions rooted in his theory of natural law and his understanding of the common good.


Not without its own difficulties, Aquinas's approach offers a rationale and justification of punishment that is, Koritansky argues, much more humane, realistic, and compelling than either contemporary school is able to provide. Koritansky distinguishes his reading of the Angelic Doctor from that of other interpreters who tend to conflate Aquinas's teaching with various aspects of recent thought. A final chapter considers the death penalty in John Paul II's Gospel of Life and debates whether current Catholic teaching about the death penalty conflicts with Aquinas's arguments in favor of the death penalty.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Peter Karl Koritansky is assistant professor of philosophy and religion at the University of Prince Edward Island.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:

"Koritansky provides a patient, thorough, learned, and balanced treatment of Aquinas's thought on punishment. This book makes an important contribution to contemporary efforts to interpret and analyze Aquinas's political thought and to current studies on the theory of punishment across various schools of thought. The scholarship is exemplary."--Mary M. Keys, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Acknowledgments(p. ix)
• Introduction: Modern Philosophies of Punishment and the Return to Aquinas(p. 1)
• 1 The Problem with the Utilitarian Theory of Punishment(p. 11)
• 2 The Problem with Modern Retributivism(p. 39)
• 3 Foundations of the Thomistic Theory of Punishment(p. 68)
• 4 The Moral Basis of Punishment: Aquinas's Retributivism(p. 103)
• 5 Beyond Retribution: Punishing Criminals in Civil Society(p. 133)
• 6 Capital Punishment, Evangelium Vitae, and the Thomistic Theory of Punishment(p. 170)
• Conclusion: Thomas Aquinas and Modern Theories of Punishment(p. 191)
• Selected Bibliography(p. 199)
• Index(p. 207)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Koritansky (Univ. of Prince Edward Island, Canada) uses Aquinas's theory of punishment to address some issues in modern and contemporary theories of punishment. He outlines and critiques two dominant theories: the utilitarian (stemming from Bentham) and retributive (stemming from Kant). Both have significant problems: the utilitarian theory cannot address adequately the problem of scapegoating (punishing the innocent for tactical reasons); the retributive theory tends to employ lex talionis reasoning (punishing by measure only of the criminal deed done). Drawing from his thorough analysis of Aquinas's texts on punishment, particularly in the Summa Theologica, Koritansky argues that Aquinas provides a needed addendum to the analysis by identifying the natural inclination humans have to punish wrongdoing. This solves scapegoating problems, since it punishes only those agents who have offended against the order, as well as restrictions of punishment simply as reactions to the deed done, since it takes into account more comprehensively the motivations of both the criminal punished and the society punishing. Koritansky concludes with an analysis of how Aquinas's theory is consistent with declarative statements of the Catholic Church, specifically on capital punishment. A valuable book for Aquinas scholars and those working on the ethics/legality of punishment. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. J. C. Swindal Duquesne University

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Peter Karl Koritansky is assistant professor of philosophy and religion at the University of Prince Edward Island.