The concept of appropriateness (absent in social-benefit rationale) is what accounts for the intuition of proportionality in punishment. It's not about beneficial punishment. It's about just punishment.
Critique of and Alternate Solution Β·Intuition can be justified with social-benefit rationale
The retributivist notions of appropriateness, proportionality, and justice can be reframed as balancing benefit to society against cost to the individual.
Actual Answer / Main Point Β·The retributivist intuitions are grounded in social-benefit rationale
Passage Style
Single position
13.
As expressed in the passage, βββ ββββββββ ββββββββ ββββββ ββββ βββββ βββββββββ βββ βββββ ββββββββ ββ ββββ ββββββββββ βββββββββ ββ
Question Type
Authorβs perspective
Implied
The author comments on very harsh penalties for minor offenses at the beginning of P3: βOne problem with the social-benefit rationale is that it is possible that very harsh penalties even for minor offenses may have great benefit to society.β The author characterizes these punishments as a βproblemβ β thereβs something that intuitively leads us to think these punishments are not just.
a
reluctant approval of βββ ββββββββββ ββββ βββββ βββββββ βββββ
Anti-supported; the author suggests that thereβs something intuitively unjust about these punishments.
b
mild skepticism that ββββ ββββββββββ βββββββ βββββββ
Not supported, because although the author does suggest in the last paragraph that these overly harsh punishments might cause more harm to the criminal than they benefit society, this doesnβt imply the author thinks they donβt benefit society. They do, just not enough to outweigh the harm to the criminal.
Anti-supported; the author suggests that thereβs something intuitively unjust about these punishments.
d
scholarly neutrality on βββββββ ββββ βββ βββββββββ
Anti-supported; the author suggests that thereβs something intuitively unjust about these punishments.
e
implicit disapproval of βββββ βββββ βββββββββ
Supported; the author suggests that thereβs something intuitively unjust about these punishments.
Difficulty
59% of people who answer get this correct
This is a difficult question.
It is slightly harder than the average question in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%139
159
75%178
Analysis
Authorβs perspective
Implied
Law
Single position
Answer Popularity
PopularityAvg. score
a
8%
159
b
10%
161
c
1%
166
d
22%
165
e
59%
167
Question history
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