Rob Canton, Professor in Community and Criminal Justice at the De Montfort University in Leicester and CEP Honorary Member had the honour to deliver the 21st Annual Bill McWilliams Memorial Lecture at the University of Cambridge on the 26th of June 2018. 

The lecture was about his latest book “Why Punish?”. This book is an attempt to show the value of combining the insights of social sciences with those of philosophy in trying to understand punishment. Subtitled An Introduction to the Philosophy of Punishment, the book takes no particular philosophical position but is guided by a definition from the Harvard philosopher, Michael Sandel:

‘Philosophy is reflecting critically on the way things are. That includes reflecting critically on social and political and economic arrangements. It always intimates the possibility that things could be other than they are. And better.’

Watch the 21st Annual Bill McWilliams Memorial Lecture here:

‘Philosophy is reflecting critically on the way things are. That includes reflecting critically on social and political and economic arrangements. It always intimates the possibility that things could be other than they are. And better.’