Introduction

Both criminology and philosophy share concerns about how we might get on with one another and what we could, or perhaps ought to do when we do not. In this concluding chapter the place of a philosophical criminology is considered. According to Christopher Williams and Bruce Arrigo:

As highlighted in the introduction to this book, criminology is an interdisciplinary enterprise and, as such, it makes sense for criminologists to engage with other disciplines such as philosophy that have for centuries attempted to answer questions of importance to criminology. Williams and Arrigo (2006) are right to say that there has been little engagement between philosophy and criminology; as they go on to observe, ‘since its modern inception criminology has not been a discipline of systematic philosophical debate, analysis, or critique’ (2006: 15).This book has been an attempt to engender greater engagement between the two subject areas. There is much within philosophy of direct relevance to criminological enquiry. Similarly, philosophy might gain from associating with a subject so closely related to people's everyday lived realities. By engaging with philosophy this book has demonstrated that textbook histories of criminological thought only present a partial picture of ideas central to criminological understanding.

This concluding chapter reflects on the previous seven chapters and assesses the usefulness of a philosophical approach to criminology. As highlighted in the introduction, both philosophy and criminology are broad subject areas and, as such, this book has been selective in terms of topics covered.