Gideon Yaffe
Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence
(on leave, 2023–2024)
Gideon Yaffe is Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology at Yale. His research interests include the philosophy of law, particularly criminal law; the study of metaphysics including causation, free will and personal identity; and the study of intention and the theory of action.
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Education & Curriculum Vitae
Ph.D. (Philosophy), Stanford University, 1998
A.B., Harvard University, 1992
Courses Taught
- Criminal Law and Administration
- Philosophy of Law
- Addiction and the Law: Perspectives from Philosophy, Economics, and Neuroscience
Gideon Yaffe is Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology at Yale. His research interests include the philosophy of law, particularly criminal law; the study of metaphysics including causation, free will and personal identity; and the study of intention and the theory of action. He has also written about the history of early modern philosophy. Professor Yaffe also collaborates with several neuroscientists to devise experiments that aim to be of legal and philosophical significance and has written about the relevance of the neuroscience of addiction to the criminal culpability of addicts. His 2010 book Attempts concerns the philosophical foundations of the law governing attempted crimes. His 2017 book The Age of Culpability concerns the philosophical grounds for leniency towards child criminals. He holds an A.B. in philosophy from Harvard and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Stanford. Prior to joining Yale in 2012, he was a Professor of Philosophy and Law at the University of Southern California. He was also a member of the MacArthur Foundation’s Law and Neuroscience Project. He has held fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies and the Mellon Foundation, and he was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 2015.
Monday, April 24, 2023
The Rules of the Game
Two spring term classes use sports as a prism to delve into the ethical, philosophical, and leadership topics that undergird legal practice and systems.
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Why the Trump Indictment Isn’t as Legally Dubious as Many Claimed — A Commentary by Gideon Yaffe
Los Angeles Times
Gideon Yaffe is Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology at Yale.
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Yale Law Professors, Via Open Letter, Support Work on Pardons and Paroles
CT Law Tribune
Several criminal law experts from Yale Law School wrote to stakeholders about Connecticut’s pause in commutations.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
A Q&A with Professor Yaffe on the Norm Shift Theory of Punishment
Professor Gideon Yaffe discusses his latest paper, in which he challenges long-held norms of punishment and proposes a new analysis — the Norm Shift Theory of Punishment.
Saturday, May 1, 2021
The Lucky Legal Accident That Led to Derek Chauvin’s Conviction — A Commentary by Gideon Yaffe
The Hill
Gideon Yaffe is the Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence.
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
A Minneapolis Jury Has Found Derek Chauvin Guilty of Killing George Floyd
Vogue
Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence Gideon Yaffe is quoted in a Vogue article about the Derek Chauvin verdict.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Professor Yaffe on Philosophy and Psychology of Criminal Justice
A Q&A with Gideon Yaffe, Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology at Yale.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
The Supreme Court Needs to Change the Way It Thinks About Justice for Children — A Commentary by Gideon Yaffe
Slate
Gideon Yaffe is the Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence.
Friday, August 30, 2019
The brain, the criminal and the courts
Knowable Magazine
Research by Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence Gideon Yaffe about neuroscience and the law is mentioned in Knowable Magazine.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Gideon Yaffe to Present Inaugural Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Lecture
Professor Gideon Yaffe will give the inaugural Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Lecture on September 23, 2019.
Monday, April 1, 2019
Congress Should Give Felons the Right to Vote in Federal Elections — A Commentary by Gideon Yaffe
The Hill
Gideon Yaffe is the Wesley Newcomb Hohfeld Professor of Jurisprudence.
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Would lowering voting age justify being tougher on under 18s?
Irish Times
An article about Professor of Law, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology Gideon Yaffe’s new book, “The Age of Culpability: Children and the Nature of Criminal Responsibility.”
Monday, March 26, 2018
Professor Yaffe Publishes New Book on Criminal Responsibility
In his latest book, The Age of Culpability: Children and the Nature of Criminal Responsibility, Professor Gideon Yaffe sets out to explain why the age of an offender should matter when assessing criminal liability.
Friday, January 26, 2018
No, the federal charges against Garcia Zarate, acquitted in Kate Steinle's death, are not double jeopardy—A Commentary by Gideon Yaffe
Los Angeles Times
Gideon Yaffe is a Professor of Law, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology at Yale.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Trump’s administration says the travel ban isn’t like Japanese internment. It is.—A Commentary by Duncan Williams and Gideon Yaffe
The Washington Post
Duncan Williams is an associate professor of religion and East Asian languages and cultures at the University of Southern California and Gideon Yaffe is Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy at Yale Law School.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Tim Wu Discussed Book on Attention
On Tuesday, April 18, the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy welcomed Professor Tim Wu of Columbia Law School for a discussion of his book, The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Did you knowingly commit a crime? Brain scans could tell
Science
Professor of Law Gideon Yaffe is quoted in an article about a study he authored that suggests brain scans can distinguish between criminal intent and simple reckless behavior.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Give felons and prisoners the right to vote—A Commentary by Gideon Yaffe
The Washington Post
Gideon Yaffe is a Professor of Law, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology at Yale.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Activists say Airbnb drives up rents. But is that actually true? L.A. needs to find out—A Commentary by Gideon Yaffe
Los Angeles Times
Gideon Yaffe is a Professor of Law, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology at Yale.
Friday, February 12, 2016
To Convict, Prove a Guilty Mind—A Commentary by Gideon Yaffe
The New York Times
Gideon Yaffe is a Professor of Law, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Psychology at Yale.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Professor Yaffe Named 2015 Guggenheim Fellow
Gideon Yaffe, a Professor of Law, Philosophy, and Psychology at Yale has been awarded a 2015 fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Gideon Yaffe to Join Yale Law Faculty in July as Professor of Law
Gideon Yaffe, a professor of philosophy and law at the University of Southern California, will join the Yale Law School faculty on July 1, 2012, as a Professor of Law.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
USC Professor Gideon Daniel Yaffe Will Speak Nov. 3 on Criminal Responsibility & Neuroscience
USC Professor Gideon Daniel Yaffe will deliver a Dean’s Lecture Nov. 3 on the topic, “Criminal Responsibility & Neuroscience: The Absurd, the Overstated, and the Potentially Useful (someday, maybe).”