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Is there any moral reasoning behind punishment?

Usually when someone does something bad they get punished. There are a few reasons for this, e.g. Them not doing it again or other people not doing in the first place. I was wondering if there is a reason for punishments to be fair and just.
user52697
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What is one’s incentive to be moral?

Assuming there is no afterlife, or whatever afterlife there is does not depend on the morality of my actions in this life, what is one’s incentive to be moral given basic rational self-interest is often at odds with choosing to be moral? An…
Just Some Old Man
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Are actually random events causeless?

Radium atoms decay by emitting alpha particles at random. Are these events without cause? Of course one may take a closer look at radium nuclei to determine a possible reason why they decay; for example a hidden-variables model of QM may provide an…
Mozibur Ullah
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Multidimensional utility

I'm an outsider to the philosophy community (I'm a mathematics PhD student), and I'm curious of whether the following critique has been addressed. During some superficial discussions I had on utilitarianism, I frequently encountered the assumption…
Uzu Lim
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Observable and non-observable entities in explanation

So I've been reading through the Phaedo and have been thinking about Plato and have come up with a question, before I ask the question, I will give some background. Plato's theory of the forms (as I understand it) is an attempt to explain why…
jay.guy
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Does Fodor present any argument for his use of computable methods in his view of the mind?

In defense of his Language of Thought Hypothesis (SEP article), Jerry Fodor argues that Thought is recursively compositional in just the same way that Language is. When we understand a sentence, we invoke a representational token that corresponds…
Paul Ross
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Are there more modern schools that follow Epicurean philosophy?

As Wikipedia says in its article, Epicureanism in short means: pleasure is the highest good, thus gain it through living virtuous life and expecting less. Based on this definition, is there a modern society, tribe, social network, or any group of…
Saeed Neamati
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One or two Wittgensteins?

It is common opinion that Wittgenstein has two main different periods which are best exemplified by the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and the Philosophical Investigations and that these periods are highly contradictory. I remember however that a…
Mauricio Tec
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Is there a name for each individual's perceived sphere of reality?

Is it an acceptable idea that each individual carries their own model of reality in their mind? Is there a name for the model that each individual uses to perceive reality? Is there a name for the sphere of reality that can be perceived by each…
jimjim
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What does it mean for an axiom to be logical?

I have recently been hearing the phrase logical axiom being thrown around in reference to the philosophy of mathematics and I'm having a hard time understanding what one might mean when they are using it. By the use of the word logical I am tempted…
Michael Harper
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What were some of Russell's arguments against Kant's system of thought?

I just finished reading Bertrand Russell's 'A History of Western Philosophy', and while I thoroughly enjoyed the book and find Russell's own work quite interesting, his overview of Kant seemed a bit unfair and at odds with what I understand about…
shoul25
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St. Thomas Aquinas' Contingency Proof for the Existence of God

Frank Sheed is considered one of the best Thomistic theologians of the twentieth century. He is known for presenting St. Thomas' 5 proofs in a very clear way. If we consider the universe, we find that everything in it bears this mark, that it…
Charles Alsobrook
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Why is the statement about "Freewill is an illusion" considered profound?

So my understanding of the "freewill is an illusion" argument is if I know everything about a system since the laws of physics are deterministic the final solution is unique. Anyone who makes this argument implicitly assumes a materialistic view.…
More Anonymous
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Is Popper's Solution to the Problem of Induction still valid?

Popper (negativly) solved the problem of induction by showing that there is no class of sentences (analytic/synthetic, a priori/a posteriori) in which a principle of induction can be phrased without invoking an infinite regress or admitting…
Lukas
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What is the philosophical term for using half-truths to intentionally mislead?

Our local school district has been distributing propaganda to support keeping schools open during an uncontrolled pandemic. There has been a common pattern among these statements, where a half-truth is written by transforming a straightforward fact…
glenviewjeff
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