"On Crime and Punishment" and Other Works (Cambridge History of Political Thought - Facsimile Edition)

Author: [Italy] Beccaria
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-05-01
Features: This edition of Beccaria’s On Crimes and Punishments and other writings presents a radically new interpretation of his thought. Drawing on recent Italian scholarship, Richard Bellamy shows how Beccaria wove together the various political philosophies, often regarded as no more than a precursor of Bentham’s, combines republican, contractarian, romantic, and liberal as well as utilitarian themes. The result is a complex theory of punishment that derives from a sophisticated analysis of the role of state and the nature of human motivation in commercial society. The translation used in this edition is based on the fifth Italian edition and provides English-speaking readers with Beccaria’s own ordering of his text for the first time. A number of pieces from his writings on political economy and the history of civilization which were not previously available in English are also included.