|
Abstract: In his essay, Professor Murphy asks the provocative question: "What would law be like if we organized it around the value of Christian love, and if we thought about and criticized law in terms of that value?" Focusing in particular on the relationship of forgiveness to criminal law, he argues against Notre Dame law professor Thomas Shaffer's notion that forgiveness is incompatible not only with capital punishment but with the very idea of law itself. According to Professor Murphy, forgiveness is fundamentally a change of heart and therefore it can be divorced from external practice. Additionally, along the way, Professor Murphy offers delicate and nuanced insights about mercy, reconciliation, and capital punishment.
|