Human, All Too Human, Part 105 summary
Part 105 of 152 · 2 min to read the part
In 105, the argument holds that absolute irresponsibility removes deserved punishment and reward from justice, since people cannot act otherwise than they do. Punishment and reward remain useful as incentives, however, and human purposes also require vanity because praise and blame work strongly upon it.
What happens
- Absolute irresponsibility rules out treating punishment and reward as things people deserve.
- Punishment deters others, while reward encourages both its recipient and others toward further acts.
- The race image presents praise as encouragement for ongoing effort rather than recognition of a completed achievement.
- Human purposes require punishment and reward to continue because they provide powerful incentives.
- Those purposes also require vanity, upon which praise and blame act most strongly.
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What to notice
The argument applies the rejection of desert to reward as well as punishment. Reward serves to encourage conduct, not to deliver something justly owed.
Quick check
Why do human purposes require vanity to continue?
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