This first volume in the four-volume series The Moral Limits of the
Criminal Law focuses on the "harm principle," the commonsense view that
prevention of harm to persons other than the perpetrator is a legitimate
purpose of criminal 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.