Vision An Oratorio

Vision is an oratorio written for mixed chorus and soli accompanied by a chamber orchestra. The text is from the book Doctrine and Covenants, section seventy-six, paragraphs one and two, as printed by the official publishing organization of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Retribution and Restitution in Locke’s Theory of Punishment

Locke’s theory of punishment initially appears to be a confused combination of retributive considerations that base punishment on desert and forward-looking considerations that base punishment on future benefits. A more coherent theory emerges, however, if his argument is set in its historical context and compared with that of Grotius, Hobbes, and Pufendorf. Locke rejected retributivism in all but its weakest version and grounded punishment in two distinct rationales, protection of society and restitution for victims. In doing so, Locke’s theory challenges the dichotomy between forward-looking and backward-looking rationales and contemporary conceptions of the domain of ‘‘punishment.’’This article is published as Tuckness, Alex. "Retribution and restitution in Locke’s theory of punishment." The Journal of Politics 72, no. 3 (2010): 720-732.. doi: 10.1017/s0022381610000125. Posted with permission.</p

Punishment, Property, and the Limits of Altruism: Locke's International Asymmetry

The standard interpretation of Locke assumes symmetry between punishment by individuals in the state of nature and punishment by states in the state of nature. The standard interpretation is incorrect because in cases where the punishment is altruistic, the state is not the functional equivalent of a person, having a more restricted power to punish. The asymmetry arises from Locke's contractualism because individuals in the state of nature might reasonably refuse to give governments the power to punish altruistically. This interpretation clarifies some ongoing puzzles about Locke's theory of property where questions about coerced sacrifices to benefit others also arise. Locke's argument is vulnerable to important objections, specifically that he equivocates on the meaning of the word “body,” that he places too much emphasis on the right of self-preservation, and that he legitimates nearly unlimited appropriation by states.This article is published as Tuckness, Alex. "Punishment, Property, and the Limits of Altruism: Locke's International Asymmetry." American Political Science Review 102, no. 4 (2008): 467-479. doi:10.1017/S0003055408080349. Posted with permission.</p

Discourses of Resistance in the American Revolution

Debates over whether the discourse used to justify resistance during the American Revolution was "liberal" or "republican" often obscure the more central question of why and how early American thinkers were able to combine strands of political thought that many modern scholars find contradictory. The arguments the Americans used to justify resistance are better understood as falling into four types that were not understood to be mutually exclusive: Lockean, Biblical, legal/historical, and republican. Locke's ideas often provided an organizing framework within which the other types of argument were used.This article is published as Tuckness, Alex Scott. "Discourses of resistance in the American Revolution." Journal of the History of Ideas 64, no. 4 (2003): 547-563. doi:10.1353/jhi.2004.0011. Posted with permission.</p