Jeffrie G. Murphy's third collection of essays further pursues the topics of punishment and retribution that were explored in his two previous collections: Retribution, Justice and Therapy and Retribution Reconsidered. Murphy now explores these topics in the light of reflections on issues that are normally associated with religion: forgiveness, mercy, and repentance. He also explores the general issue of theory and practice and discusses a variety of topics in applied ethics - e.g., freedom of artistic expression, the morality of gambling, and the value of forgiveness in psychological counseling. As always, his perspective may be described as Kantian; and, indeed, this collection contains the first extended piece of Kant scholarship that he has done in years: a long essay on Kant on theory and practice.

One might legitimately ask what reasons other than vanity could prompt an author to issue a collection of his previously published essays. The best reason, I think, is the belief that the essays hang together in such a way that, as a book, they produce a whole which is in a sense greater than the sum of its parts. When this happens, as I hope it does in the present case, it is because the essays pursue related themes in such a way that, together, they at least form a start toward the development of a systematic theory on the common foundations supporting the particular claims in the particular articles. With respect to this collection, the essays can all be read as particular ways of pursuing the following general pattern of thought: that a commitment to justice and a respect for rights (and not social utility) must be the foundation of any morally acceptable legal order; that a social contractarian model is the best way to illuminate this foundation; that a retributive theory of punish ment is the only theory of punishment resting on such a foundation and thus is the only morally acceptable theory of punishment; that the twentieth century's faddish movement toward a "scientific" or therapeutic response to crime runs grave risks of undermining the foundations of justice and rights on which the legal order ought to rest; and, finally, that the legitimate worry about the tendency of the behavioral sciences to undermine the values of"

Jeffrie G. Murphy's second collection of essays further pursues the topics of punishment and retribution that were explored in his 1979 collection Retribution, Justice and Therapy. Murphy now explores these topics in the context of political philosophy as well as moral philosophy, and he now begins to develop some doubts about the version of the retributive theory with which his name has long been associated.

Jeffrie G. Murphy's second collection of essays further pursues the topics of punishment and retribution that were explored in his 1979 collection Retribution, Justice and Therapy. Murphy now explores these topics in the context of political philosophy as well as moral philosophy, and he now begins to develop some doubts about the version of the retributive theory with which his name has long been associated.

Jeffrie G. Murphy's third collection of essays further pursues the topics of punishment and retribution that were explored in his two previous collections: Retribution, Justice and Therapy and Retribution Reconsidered. Murphy now explores these topics in the light of reflections on issues that are normally associated with religion: forgiveness, mercy, and repentance. He also explores the general issue of theory and practice and discusses a variety of topics in applied ethics - e.g., freedom of artistic expression, the morality of gambling, and the value of forgiveness in psychological counseling. As always, his perspective may be described as Kantian; and, indeed, this collection contains the first extended piece of Kant scholarship that he has done in years: a long essay on Kant on theory and practice.

One might legitimately ask what reasons other than vanity could prompt an author to issue a collection of his previously published essays. The best reason, I think, is the belief that the essays hang together in such a way that, as a book, they produce a whole which is in a sense greater than the sum of its parts. When this happens, as I hope it does in the present case, it is because the essays pursue related themes in such a way that, together, they at least form a start toward the development of a systematic theory on the common foundations supporting the particular claims in the particular articles. With respect to this collection, the essays can all be read as particular ways of pursuing the following general pattern of thought: that a commitment to justice and a respect for rights (and not social utility) must be the foundation of any morally acceptable legal order; that a social contractarian model is the best way to illuminate this foundation; that a retributive theory of punish ment is the only theory of punishment resting on such a foundation and thus is the only morally acceptable theory of punishment; that the twentieth century's faddish movement toward a "scientific" or therapeutic response to crime runs grave risks of undermining the foundations of justice and rights on which the legal order ought to rest; and, finally, that the legitimate worry about the tendency of the behavioral sciences to undermine the values of"

Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, New Religious Movements. Practical Theology or Systematic Theology. The Bible, the Philosophy of Religion, Psychological, Anthropological or Sociological theories. Whatever your interest, this Companion offers a comprehensive introduction to the subject areas of both Religious Studies and Theology in one inclusive volume. Based on the core components of Religious Studies and Theology degrees, it is designed to function as the main text for beginning students and for use throughout their studies. Stimulating and broad-ranging, it is divided into two parts - Religious Studies and Theology - and six main sections: Religious Studies * Theories of Religion * Case Studies: World Religions Theology * Biblical Studies * Practical Theology * Systematic Theology * The Philosophy of Religion This blend of thorough and cutting-edge perspectives offers a balanced overview of the field a whole. Key Features: * A one-stop bumper textbook for Religious Studies and Theology students * Comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the subject * Key terms defined and highlighted * Questions at the end of each chapter * Guides to further reading

Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, New Religious Movements. Practical Theology or Systematic Theology. The Bible, the Philosophy of Religion, Psychological, Anthropological or Sociological theories. Whatever your interest, this Companion offers a comprehensive introduction to the subject areas of both Religious Studies and Theology in one inclusive volume. Based on the core components of Religious Studies and Theology degrees, it is designed to function as the main text for beginning students and for use throughout their studies. Stimulating and broad-ranging, it is divided into two parts - Religious Studies and Theology - and six main sections: Religious Studies * Theories of Religion * Case Studies: World Religions Theology * Biblical Studies * Practical Theology * Systematic Theology * The Philosophy of Religion This blend of thorough and cutting-edge perspectives offers a balanced overview of the field a whole. Key Features: * A one-stop bumper textbook for Religious Studies and Theology students * Comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the subject * Key terms defined and highlighted * Questions at the end of each chapter * Guides to further reading