On one version of retributive thinking, retribution isn&#x27;t really about restoring fairness, about balancing out cosmic scales of justice. It&#x27;s about giving a person what&#x27;s due to him or her. We call it reward when what&#x27;s due to her is a result of good she&#x27;s done, and we call it (retributive) punishment when it&#x27;s as a result of evil she&#x27;s done.<p>On that view, it&#x27;s generally <i>just right</i> to reward people for good and punish them for evil. Consequences -- even grand ones like balancing the cosmic scales of justice -- don&#x27;t enter it.