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Fall 2006
Volume 06, Number 1

Newsletter on Philosophy and Law

From the Editors

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Edition in Tribute to Joel Feinberg

This edition honors the legacy of Joel Feinberg and continues the normative and conceptual analysis that animated his life’s work.Joel died in 2004 from complications arising from his long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. As attested through the many obituaries and remembrances written in his honor, his writing is widely regarded among the finest work that contemporary social and legal philosophy has ever produced.Always a gentleman, beloved by students and faculty, Joel had the remarkable philosophical virtue of a kindly manner combined with a dry wit. It was not uncommon for an unsuspecting speaker to absorb one of Joel’s very funny responses to a prized argument only to realize later that the light-hearted humor was also a sharp and piercing critique. In the classroom, Joel created the feel of a friendly talk on the porch combined with depth and texture, careful distinctions and quick retorts. His teaching was much like his writing. While improving on Joel’s analysis of a given topic might be possible, it is never as easy as it might first seem. The simple fact is that he most likely already considered the point in question and his analysis probably already takes it into account.Ranging across accounts of punishment (Schopp and Knapp), the offense principle (Price), jury nullification (Griffin), and hard paternalism (Boleyn-Fitzgerald), these essays refine, elaborate, and challenge various aspects of Feinberg’s defense of liberalism. They are written largely by colleagues who had studied with Joel. They are an engaging set of essays that offer a fine tribute to the legacy of Joel Feinberg.

Steven Scalet
Binghamton University (SUNY)

John Arthur
Binghamton University (SUNY)

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