PHL357-Theories of Justice

Task:

The essay plan and essay is designed to extend your understanding of a specific topic and to test your ability to engage with that topic in depth. Essay writing tests your ability to synthesise material from a range of readings and to express, analyse and structure key ideas and arguments clearly, logically and systematically. It also tests your ability to develop your own view, and to argue for that view in a cogent and sustained way. You will be expected to read and incorporate into your essay extra secondary sources beyond the required readings (aim for at least three extra sources beyond the required readings from high quality publications). To help you to properly structure your essay, you will also be expected to submit an essay plan that follows the Essay Plan Template given below. Your essay must match your essay plan. 

Submit: 1) An Essay Plan that follows the below Essay Plan Template; 2) An 1800 word essay that matches the Essay Plan with a word count at the end. Include both parts in the SAME DOCUMENT. 

Answer ONE of the following questions only

1. Critically discuss the retributivist claim that perpetrators of serious wrongs deserve proportional punishment.

2. Critically discuss the feminist critique of liberal theories of justice.

3. Critically discuss the claim that deliberative democracy requires a conception of citizenship that is too demanding.

4. Critically discuss the claim that we should not have minority rights. 5. Critically discuss the claim that our obligations of justice do not extend beyond the borders of our nation-state.

Essay Plan Template

Question: Critically discuss the retributivist claim that perpetrators of serious wrongs deserve proportional punishment

Thesis statement:

The retributivist claim that perpetrators of serious wrongs deserve proportional punishment is implausible because proportional punishment is a useless and vague criterion for punishment and the retributivist approach leads us to downplay other important goals of punishment, such as deterrence. 

Reasons in favour of my thesis:

1. Proportional punishment is a useless and vague criterion for punishment because …

2. The retributivist approach is problematic as it leads us to downplay other important goals of punishment, such as deterrence.

Reasons against my thesis:

1. Lex Talionis does provide a useful and clear criterion for punishment.

2. While the retributivist approach doesn’t make deterrence the justification for punishment, the retributivist does not need to completely ignore the deterrence effects of punishment. 

Relevant research

1. Jane Blogs, Theory of Punishment, Journal of … This paper outlines an important objection to the principle of Lex Talionis which will be useful in spelling out my objections to this principle.

2. John Blogs, …. This paper tries to give a clear defence of Lex Talionis and this will be useful in helping to ensure that I spell out the best version of Lex Talionis before I try to critique it.

3. Jill Blogs, .