Hello Philo Agoran,

Our programme through to the end of the year follows:

On October 28, Allan McCay will discuss Free will, retributive punishment and sentencing in the courts

Sentencing in New South Wales considers deterrence, rehabilitation and the incapacitation of the dangerous. However it also considers desert, thus there is a retributive aim to sentencing that looks back to the wrongfulness of the offence rather than to future considerations. In this paper Allan focuses on the retributive aim of sentencing and consider whether the science behavioural genetics gives reason to believe that some offenders are less deserving of punishment than was thought.

Allan teaches at the University of Sydney Foundation Program and is a PhD candidate in the Law Faculty at the University of Sydney. He is admitted as a solicitor in Hong Kong, Scotland, NSW and Tasmania and has been visiting researcher at the philosophy departments of the University of Stirling and the California Riverside.

I jump to December 9, when the topic will be Philosophy, Philo Agora and Me.

It's your turn to contribute.  Our final session of the year will look back over the last 12 months,  or over a much longer period in our lives,  and discuss one, two, or all three of the above  topics  - attitudes or lessons from philosophy with or without Philo Agora, or about Philo Agora itself . We would love to hear for instance when we have met the objectives on our website - ideas on the issues facing ourselves and our world within a philosophical format.

The talks will be started by two or three of our committee,. Those who register ahead of time will be scheduled alphabetically for 4 minutes . The remainder get only the regular two minutes .  Responses can be put on the website. All those interested in a longer comment, please respond to this email or talk to a committee member over the coming weeks.

Our end of year Christmas party follows.
November 11, Abhijit Pal:  Matter over Mind.

November 25  Karyn Lai: The aims and methods of Chinese philosophy.

Regards,

Samuel Alexander.