Love's Casuistry: A Case for Retribution

In my 9-11 ruminations last week, I asserted that the retributive dimension of the just war tradition is indispensable to humanity. Such a robust claim requires a more substantial defense than is really doable in a post, but I'll have a go at a modest start. In the 9-11 essay, I suggested that retribution is good in part because meting out deserved punishment furnishes society with certain kinds of protection. These include physical protection -- through the restoration and maintenance of just order -- as well as moral protection -- through helping promote not just justice but also by cultivating in individual members of society a just character, one oriented toward the giving of each their proper due. To cultivate such a character is good for many reasons, chief among them is that it reflects the character of God.