The document discusses the contradictory views of retributive and consequentialist theories of punishment from an evolutionary perspective. While humans have an innate desire for retribution, evolutionary theory suggests punishment originally served the consequential purpose of eliminating "free-riders" from groups. This frames retribution as an illusion, calling into question justifications for punishment. From a materialist view, the purpose of criminal law is to ensure cooperation through re-educating or eliminating the uncooperative, founded on biology and neuroscience concepts. Theories of punishment are fragile when considered alongside physicalism and the rapid evolution of natural sciences.