Harm to Others

The first volume in Joel Feinberg's four-volume series "The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law, Harm to Others" focuses on the "harm principle," the commonsense view that prevention of harm to persons other than the perpetrator is a legitimate purpose of coercive legislation. Feinberg presents a detailed analysis of the concept and definition of harm and applies it to a host of practical and theoretical issues, showing how the harm principle must be interpreted if it is to be a plausible guide to the lawmaker.