Character, Liberty and Law: Kantian Essays in Theory and Practice

Jeffrie G. Murphy's third collection of essays further pursues the topics of punishment and retribution that were explored in his two previous Retribution, Justice and Therapy and Retribution Reconsidered . Murphy now explores these topics in the light of reflections on issues that are normally associated with 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 a long essay on Kant on theory and practice.