4 - “Thank God I Failed”

Summary

This chapter takes up a well-worn question: Does the fact of success or failure in a criminal attempt make any difference, in itself, to what the offender deserves by way of conviction and punishment? Alexander’s answer to this question is a firm “No,” backed up by some original arguments; my answer is “Yes,” and I support this answer by critically assessing Alexander’s arguments. In particular, I discuss some of the examples through which he hopes to prompt our intuitions in his favor; his arguments about “causal conundrums”; and the significance of the idea of a “moral ledger,” in which one’s moral credit and discredit is to be recorded. One important theme is the relief that a failed attempt might provoke in observers, or in a repentant attempter (“Thank God [you/I] failed”).