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Against the view that corporal punishment is morally legitimate and should be legally permitted provided it falls short of abuse, Lenta argues that all corporal punishment is morally impermissible and ought to be legally proscribed. He engages with empirical literature to examine the emotional and psychological effects of corporal punishment.
List of contents
1. Introduction
2. The Benefits and Costs of Corporal Punishment
3. Children's Rights and Security of the Person
4. Is Corporal Punishment Degrading, Cruel or Torturous?
5. Ought Corporal Punishment to be Criminalized?
6. Animals and Criminals
About the author
Patrick Lenta is an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. He has published papers in journals including
Criminal Law and Philosophy,
Criminal Justice Ethics,
Ratio Juris,
Social Theory and Practice,
Journal of Applied Philosophy, and
Journal of the Philosophy of Sport.
Summary
Against the view that corporal punishment is morally legitimate and should be legally permitted provided it falls short of abuse, Lenta argues that all corporal punishment is morally impermissible and ought to be legally proscribed. He engages with empirical literature to examine the emotional and psychological effects of corporal punishment.
Additional text
"Lenta's book is the most thoroughly argued, well documented and best-written study of the pros and cons of corporal punishment to have been written by a philosopher for many years. Whether one accepts its main conclusions or not, it has 'must read' status for anyone, from professor to undergraduate student, who is interested in this topic." --Geoffrey Scarre in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
"In his thorough, empirically informed, and accessible discussion of corporal punishment, Patrick Lenta provides the strongest argument I have seen for a categorical opposition to all such punishment. Dare I say that he gives the practice of corporal punishment a sound thrashing? Anybody who thinks that corporal punishment is at least sometimes morally permissible—or that it ought ever to be legal—will have to reckon with his arguments." --David Benatar, University of Cape Town
"This book offers the most compelling, well-researched, and philosophically rigorous case yet published that the corporal punishment of children is egregiously immoral and should be criminalized. It is essential reading for anyone interested in how we should treat children." --Dave Archard, Queen’s University Belfast
"In the last 20 years there has been a resurgence of interest on the topic of children’s rights. Curiously, very little has been done on the issue of corporal punishment. In this book Patrick Lenta weaves together moral, legal, and psychological considerations resulting in a compelling argument against corporal punishment that will frame future debate on the issue." --Mark Vopat, Youngstown State University, USA
