It's a bit ahistorical to claim Beccaria is the "first" socialist, since claims about wealth inequality and criminality might rightly be attributed to Jesus, Buddha, or any number of other early...
It's a bit ahistorical to claim Beccaria is the "first" socialist, since claims about wealth inequality and criminality might rightly be attributed to Jesus, Buddha, or any number of other early philosophers.
But Beccaria is arguably the first Enlightenment philosopher who looked at the influence of wealth on state power and the dispensation of law, particularly of disproportionate punishment.
It's a bit ahistorical to claim Beccaria is the "first" socialist, since claims about wealth inequality and criminality might rightly be attributed to Jesus, Buddha, or any number of other early philosophers.
But Beccaria is arguably the first Enlightenment philosopher who looked at the influence of wealth on state power and the dispensation of law, particularly of disproportionate punishment.