Punishment and Righting Wrongs
The relationship between law and ethics has long been debated. Dr. Leora Dahan Katz’s research in criminal law and legal philosophy focuses specifically on the ethics and practice of punishment within three spheres – the private, the institutional, and the political. She is exploring the philosophy of punishment, the relevance of relationships and the way in which punishment is a morally appropriate response to wrongdoing.
Her academic journey includes an internship at the Yigal Arnon & Co. law firm, a doctorate from Yale Law School, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Polonsky Academy for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. Now returning to her alma mater, the Hebrew University, home to her undergraduate degree, her LLM and her advanced studies in philosophy, Dr. Dahan Katz is completing her academic cycle by teaching alongside the very person who first taught her criminal law.
"I am interested in the question of what makes us responsible for our actions. I am in search of a deeper understanding of why we punish, what justifies punishment."