bigideas

Ought justice be rendered to the victim, or in the name of society? If so, is there a balance to be struck between gaining retribution, deterring criminality and rehabilitating offenders? Are any of these objectives realistic in the first place?

The recent history of punishment has been one of abolition: torture, hard labour, deportation and capital punishment are largely, if nominally, banned in Western countries. Has this gone far enough: could we envisage a world where the state didn’t punish at all?

Christian Michel, libertarian writer, moderator of Café Philo at the Institut français in London and Big Ideas regular, will outline issues and concepts of punishment, and will lead our discussion.