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J. ANGELO CORLETT
(Received 14 March 2005; accepted in revised form 20 March 2005)
ABSTRACT. This paper is oered as a tribute to Joel Feinberg. The rst section of the paper applies Feinbergs analysis of freedom of expression to a contemporary case of academic freedom. The second section engages Feinbergs work on rights and punishment. The paper ends with numerous quotations from Feinbergs vast array of writings, words that express his ideas on a number of important problems that occupied his mind throughout his fruitful and inuential career.
KEY WORDS: Joel Feinberg, freedom of expression, harm, justice, liberty, Karl Marx, privacy, punishment, responsibility, retributivism, rights
It seems impossible to say goodbye to someone whose ideas abide so deeply within you. It is because of this fact that this special issue devoted to Joel Feinberg is not an attempt to say farewell to one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century, but to express immense and sincere gratitude for the gift of his ideas that he has so graciously given us. Those of us who were his students know this all too well.
Both personally and professionally, Feinberg has impacted my life in ways words can scarcely express. Among many other things, he was a person of tremendous moral character and integrity, whose writings and teachings reected his mind and heart. And I will also never forget the manner in which he was so generous with his time, and attentive to what was of concern to me. Nor will I forget his tremendously robust sense of humor. Indeed, Feinberg was a philosopher who set an extremely high standard of excellence for those of us who seek to emulate his example, holistically speaking. But as those of us who knew him understand, to try to fully satisfy that standard one must, in the end, prepare oneself for almost assured failure.
* I am grateful to the referees of this paper who provided helpful comments. I dedicate this paper to my mentor and friend, Joel Feinberg.
The Journal of Ethics (2006) 10: 131191 Springer 2006 DOI 10.1007/s10892-005-4596-4
THE PHILOSOPHY OF JOEL FEINBERG*
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J. ANGELO CORLETT
The philosophy of Feinberg has inuenced philosophers of law, social, moral and political philosophers for some time, and will likely...