This collection embodies a debate that explores what could be characterised as the tension between judging and understanding. It seems that after a particular threshold of understanding of the basic facts leading to a given moral transgression, the more we understand the context and motives leading to crime, the more likely we are to abstain from harsh retributive judgement.

Contents: Introduction. Part I Narrative, Explanation and Forgiveness: The Limits of Condemnation: Equity and mercy, Martha Nussbaum; Explanation and condemnation, Ward E. Jones; Understanding 'understanding' in The Reader, Brian Penrose; Living with the self: self-judgement and self-understanding, Samantha Vice; The case for moral complexity, Marc Fellman. Part II Free Will, Determinism and Moral Responsibility: Challenging Retributive Judgment: Moved movers: transfiguring judgment practices, Pedro Alexis Tabensky; Philosophy, determinism and moral responsibility in times of atrocity, Chandra Kumar; Is to understand to forgive or at least not to blame?, Kai Nielsen; The real me, Jonathan McKeown-Green. Part III The Ethical Function of Condemnation: Judging because understanding: a defence of retributive censure, Thaddeus Metz; Understanding condemnation: a plea for appropriate judgement, Peta Bowden and Emma Rooksby; Humanizing evil-doers, Andrew Gleeson; The unbearable space of Schlink's persona, Richard H. Weisberg. Index.