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Thomas Nadelhoffer

Charleston, SC

I live and teach philosophy in Charleston, SC.

Recent Activity

Introductory Post

Welcome to the blog for PHIL 105: Contemporary Moral Issues (Spring 2025). This is where your homework assignments will be posted and also where you will input your responses. To ensure that you are prepared for the lectures, you will have homework assignments for each meeting. I will use the... Continue reading

Posted Dec 30, 2024 at PHIL 105 (Spring 2025)

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For today we are discussing the final chapters of Raine's book, which will be the topic of your final papers. Raine discuss view of the future when the advances in the field of neurocriminology will lead society to move away from retributive approaches to crime and towards a preventive approach... Continue reading

Posted Apr 9, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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For today we are discussing chapters eight through ten of Raine's book. What did you find the most interesting and why? Continue reading

Posted Apr 9, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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For today we are discussing chapters four through seven of Raine's book. What did you find the most interesting and why? Continue reading

Posted Apr 9, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we are finally going to start reading the book by Raine. What did you find the most interesting about the first three chapters and why? Continue reading

Posted Apr 1, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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For today we are discussing the reading by Greene and Cohen. They argue that neuroscience has the chance to transform the criminal law. Why do they think that? Do you agree with them? Continue reading

Posted Apr 1, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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For today we discuss Morse's argument about legal responsibility and recent advances in neuroscience. How does Morse define legal personhood? Why does he think that recent advances in neuroscience do not challenge or undermine legal responsibility? Do you agree (why or why not)? Continue reading

Posted Mar 26, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we have an informal discussion about free will and moral responsibility. What do you think it means to have free will and what do you think it means to be morally responsible? Continue reading

Posted Mar 26, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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For today, your read Reiman's argument that while some criminal do deserve to die, we should nevertheless not use the death penalty. Do you agree with his argument? Why or why not? Continue reading

Posted Mar 19, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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For today, you read Pojman's argument that the death is morally and legally permissible. Did you find his argument compelling? Why or why not? Continue reading

Posted Mar 19, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we will have an informal discussion about the death penalty. Do you think that the death penalty can be morally permissible? Why or why not? Do you think that the death penalty is legally permissible? Why or why not? Continue reading

Posted Mar 13, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we are discussing the reading by Morris, who rejects the kind of therapeutic model favored by Menninger. Morris thinks that the therapeutic is dehumanizing in various ways. On this view, only by punishing offenders can we treat them as moral agents who are deserving of punishment rather than as... Continue reading

Posted Feb 26, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we're discussing Menninger's views about the institution of punishment. On his view, our approach to crime is unscientific, uncaring, and counter productive. He suggests that we should entirely revisit our approach to crime. Which part of the reading did you agree with (or disagree with) the most? Continue reading

Posted Feb 26, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we are watching two videos which will be followed by an informal discussion. The underlying question is whether we should radically rethink our response to crime in America and our approach to incarceration. Do you think we ought to make prisons less harsh and focus more on rehabilitation? Do... Continue reading

Posted Feb 19, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we will discuss a pair of essays by McCloskey and Sprigge. McCloskey criticizes utilitarian theories of punishment like Bentham's and Sprigge responds to McCloskey's criticism. Which argument did you find more persuasive and why? Continue reading

Posted Feb 19, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we will discuss the readings by Kant and Bradley. While Bentham insisted that punishment was intrinsically bad yet instrumentally valuable, Kant and Bradley both defend a view known as retributivism--that is, the view that punishment is intrinsically valuable since it involves giving offenders what they deserve for the harm... Continue reading

Posted Feb 11, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we discussed the influential views of Jeremy Bentham. Bentham claims that punishment is bad in itself, but that it can nevertheless be instrumentally valuable and hence morally justified. Briefly describe his background views about the goal of punishment and whether and when it is justified. Continue reading

Posted Feb 4, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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For today, we read the chapter I published with my mentor Walter Sinnott-Armstrong on psychopathy and the insanity defense. Do you think psychopaths are morally and legally blameworthy for what they do (and hence deserving of punishment)? Why or why not? Continue reading

Posted Feb 4, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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For today, we discussed Kadish's reading on legal excuses. What did you find most interesting about the reading and why? Continue reading

Posted Jan 25, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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For today, we will discuss the various stages of the criminal trial. How do you think about the notion of criminal responsibility--e.g., what do you think it required for an offender to be responsible? Continue reading

Posted Jan 25, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Today we have an informal discussion about punishment--one of the key themes of the class. There are two related questions one might ask here: First, why do you think American society actually punishes offenders? This is a descriptive question. Second, why do you think we should punish offenders (and if... Continue reading

Posted Jan 21, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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This is an optional homework assignment--that is, I didn't originally plan to give you homework for today. But it dawned on me that it might be helpful to give you a practice run. While you can get up to four points for doing this assignment, you needn't do so. That's... Continue reading

Posted Jan 13, 2023 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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Welcome to the Blog!

To ensure that you are prepared for the lectures, you will have homework assignments for each meeting. I will use this blog for facilitating this component of the class. There will be a post for each meeting. You must sign in with your first and last name before commenting, which... Continue reading

Posted Dec 28, 2022 at PHIL 270 Spring 2023

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This should be an easy opportunity to earn some blog participation credits. What was the most interesting thing you learned this semester and why? Continue reading

Posted Nov 21, 2022 at PHIL 105 (Fall 2022)

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Today we discussed Warren's argument that fetuses are not person and hence abortion is (always?) permissible. Did you find her argument compelling, why or why not? Continue reading

Posted Nov 21, 2022 at PHIL 105 (Fall 2022)

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