219 works selected for the 40 candidate questions. Selections approved by Ben Breen, 29 September 2026. Arguments are unverified. Quotations were chosen by machine and are unchecked.
2 of 219 works
1764BeccariaBeccaria,On Crimes and PunishmentsItalianTreatiseFull text
Cesare Beccaria
Dei delitti e delle pene
Italian · Treatise
Full text · Period translation
Open source →- Q11Should a judge follow a general rule when it produces an unjust result in a particular case?
Yes. Holds that criminal judges must not interpret the law or consult its 'spirit', but apply it by a single syllogism, since interpretation opens the door to arbitrary judgment.
- Q11Should a judge follow a general rule when it produces an unjust result in a particular case?
1884FerriFerri,Criminal SociologyItalianTreatiseFull text
- Q06Can people be morally responsible for actions that follow necessarily from their bodily constitution and circumstances?
No. Positivist psychology refutes free will, so punishment cannot rest on moral guilt; a person is held responsible only because he lives in society, and penalties are social defense.
- Q06Can people be morally responsible for actions that follow necessarily from their bodily constitution and circumstances?