The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law

"Comprehensive, systematic, argued with a rigour and scrupulousness unmatched, let along surpassed, in any comparable study....A colossal achievement, definitive and magisterial, a book which makes a permanent contribution to legal and political philosophy."--Times Literary Supplement "With Harmless Wrongdoing Joel Feinberg has completed a four-volume treatise...that argues brilliantly for a liberal doctrine close in spirit to the 'one very simple principle' defended by John Stuart Mill in On Liberty."--Ethics "Full of detail and careful argument....a very subtle and nuanced book....The work is wide-ranging, and has valuer for those with interests in social philosophy and ethics as well as philosophers of law."--Mind "A serious, sustained, and surprisingly readable attempt to answer the question: Are we ever justified in outlawing behavior than doesn't actually harm anyone else? Proponents of moralistic legislation will find a powerful and thoughtful adversary in Feinberg."--Utne Reader "In its scope, attention to principle and detail, careful argument, and respect for psychological and social realities, this last volume, as well as its predecessors, provides a first-rate analysis of which conduct the state may properly declare criminal and why. Feinberg's achievement, moreover, is independent of whether or not one agrees with his analysis or adopts his conclusions."--Library Journal "Comprehensive, systematic, argued with a rigour and scrupulousness unmatched, let along surpassed, in any comparable study....A colossal achievement, definitive and magisterial, a book which makes a permanent contribution to legal and political philosophy."--Times Literary Supplement "With Harmless Wrongdoing Joel Feinberg has completed a four-volume treatise...that argues brilliantly for a liberal doctrine close in spirit to the 'one very simple principle' defended by John Stuart Mill in On Liberty."--Ethics "Full of detail and careful argument....a very subtle and nuanced book....The work is wide-ranging, and has valuer for those with interests in social philosophy and ethics as well as philosophers of law."--Mind "A serious, sustained, and surprisingly readable attempt to answer the question: Are we ever justified in outlawing behavior than doesn't actually harm anyone else? Proponents of moralistic legislation will find a powerful and thoughtful adversary in Feinberg."--Utne Reader "In its scope, attention to principle and detail, careful argument, and respect for psychological and social realities, this last volume, as well as its predecessors, provides a first-rate analysis of which conduct the state may properly declare criminal and why. Feinberg's achievement, moreover, is independent of whether or not one agrees with his analysis or adopts his conclusions."--Library Journal "Deserves recognition as the most comprehensive and fully argued liberal treatment of the moral limits of the criminal law yet to be produced."--Times Higher Education Supplement "Harmless Wrongdoing, along with its companion volumes that make up Joel Feinberg's four-volume work, The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law, must be read by serious students of our justice system....An impressive, porvocative, readable treatment of a fundamental question of criminal law."--Criminal Justice Review "This is the most extensive treatment in the literature on the subject and covers a number of important contemporary issues: rights of communities, exploitation, blackmail, 'wrongful' births. Feinberg is always clear and exceedingly fair in presenting his opponents' views....The entire series is pivotal and should be in all academic libraries."--Choice From reviews of previous volumes of The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law: "Students of legal philosophy have long recognized Feinberg as an incisive and original thinker; virtually everyone who has written about legal and moral responsibility during the past fifteen years owes him a significant debt."--Harvard Law Review "This remarkable and great book, like its companion volumes, will transform our conception of standards of argument appropriate to public debate over the limits of the criminal law. It is an original and profound contribution."--David A.J. Richards, New York University Law School (on Offense to Others) "Illuminates and advances the discussion of all the issues it touches. It is certainly a major contribution that will require consideration for years to come."--Law and Philosophy (on Harm to Others)