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Ethical issue of capital punishment
Ethical issue of capital punishment
Ethical issue of capital punishment
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Let us suppose that killing, as a form of punishment, is morally and universally accepted. Would it then be acceptable to issue this to some, while letting others avoid it? It is acceptable to our criminal justice system for it seems to be standard operating procedure. Many believe the death penalty based on the “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” concept. The death penalty is improper due to the price and time of executing someone, that it isn’t a deterrent against violent crime, and how immoral and contradicting it is.
There are popular arguments in today’s public to support the death penalty. Some say that if we kill a man sentenced to the death penalty, it costs less than to keep that inmate locked up for the rest of his life. Also, the public feels that if we show violent offenders that they will be killed if they kill another, it will make them think twice about killing. Finally, people feel if someone is convicted of murder, they should be sentenced to the death penalty. However, research and facts show these arguments are not well founded.
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A study done in Florida shows the price tag on issuing a death penalty is 3.1 million dollars; as where the typical life sentence costs 1 million dollars (Walker 108). That is a 3100% difference in the price of executing someone compared to putting them in jail for life. Also, executions take up to fifteen years or longer to be carried out, which goes into the price as well (Walker 106). That difference in money could lower taxes or better help out other areas in the United States, rather than taking a person’s
In Rachael Kushner’s The Flametrowers the unorthodox relationship between Sandro Valera and Reno is deeply described. From those details it is evident that the novel seeks to explore the the psychology of relationships. The theoretical concepts of Psychoanalytic criticism will be used in order to analyse aspects of Sandro and Reno’s relationship. According to the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University, Psychoanalytic criticism builds on Freudian theories of psychology. Based on the concepts of Psychoanalytic criticism it is clear that Sandro’s behavior as an adult directly links to events in his childhood. By that connection Sandro’s mistreatment of the people around him is caused by his relationship with his father.
“All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (D of I 261). This statement, written by Thomas Jefferson, has to be one of the most controversial statements ever written. It does however agree with one of our earlier authors we read. Epicurus would agree with Jefferson in the manner that everyone should search for happiness. He tells us that “one must practice the things that produce happiness, since if that is present we have everything and if it is absent, we do everything in order to have it” (Letter to Menoeceus). It is apparent to Epicurus that the search for happiness is an absolute goal. Everyone either gets it or spends their life looking for it. Because of this, it is obvious to see how this author would agree with Jefferson by saying that we are given an unalienable right to pursue happiness. Another philosopher of our first semester that would have to agree with Jefferson is Aristotle. Unlike his teacher, Plato, Aristotle believed in the senses and also felt happiness was, what he called, one of the goods. “We think happiness is the most choiceworthy of all goods” (Nicmachean Ethics: Bk1 ch.
Epicurus was admittedly a Hedonist, and this philosophy has had a huge influence on his work. Especially so on his death argument. Hedonism is, “the doctrine that pleasure is the only thing that is good in itself for a person, pain the only thing that is bad in itself for a person.”
Americans have argued over the death penalty since the early days of our country. In the United States only 38 states have capital punishment statutes. As of year ended in 1999, in Texas, the state had executed 496 prisoners since 1930. The laws in the United States have change drastically in regards to capital punishment. An example of this would be the years from 1968 to 1977 due to the nearly 10 year moratorium. During those years, the Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment violated the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. However, this ended in 1976, when the Supreme Court reversed the ruling. They stated that the punishment of sentencing one to death does not perpetually infringe the Constitution. Richard Nixon said, “Contrary to the views of some social theorists, I am convinced that the death penalty can be an effective deterrent against specific crimes.”1 Whether the case be morally, monetarily, or just pure disagreement, citizens have argued the benefits of capital punishment. While we may all want murders off the street, the problem we come to face is that is capital punishment being used for vengeance or as a deterrent.
Before I can begin with the argumentative side of the paper, it is necessary that some background information on Epicurus be given. Epicurus was both a hedonist as well as an egoist, and was very concerned with how people get happiness. He was a psychological hedonist because he argued that we aim only at pleasure for its own sake. He was an ethical hedonist because he believed that only pleasure has true value. Similarly, he was called both a psychological and ethical egoist because he claimed that what we are aiming for and what is valuable to each of us is our own pleasure. (Epicurus (1994) text 4) With this in mind, we are ready to move on to the arguments for why the only thing we desire for its own sake is pleasure, and why it is best to keep our desires simple.
During the age of Epicureanism, people questioned the philosophy of Epicurus. In order to understand the history of Epicureanism, the person must first understand the knowledge of how and why it came to be. The how part which helps people to better understand the teachings of Epicureanism is “the art of making life happy.” To people in Athens this was reflected by the people as to why they not live their lives to fully while they are in this world. As for the why part, Epicurus decided in 310 B.C that people should want to live their lives knowing that they are living for themselves and not the purpose of pleasing others or society. Epicurus then began to form a new school which would explain why someone would want to live for themselves and not for the satisfaction of someone else. Epicurus said, “We cannot live pleasurably without living prudently, gracefully, and justly; and we cannot live prudently gracefully, and justly, without living pleasurably” (newadvent.org). This made people think that Epicurus was correct. Why should someone live life to in submission when, in fact, if he/she lives life to be fulfilled then they would feel better about their life and not have so many worries. Thus, the Epicurean way isn’t too far from today’s world views on how Americans live. Thomas Jefferson, during the history of Ame...
However much Islam and Christianity would seem to share common ground, the discussion is not complete without noting the parallels between this two that have taken center stage. Some of the remarkable differences as they try to answer deep life complexities arise in the areas of religious practices by both their adherents and the clergy (Dorothy 13-28). “There is also a stark contrast to the belief system subscribed to, means of salvation, scriptures”. The most prominent difference present concerns the belief of life after death and practices of depicting the metaphysical
When someone is legally convicted of a capital crime, it is possible for their punishment to be execution. The Death Penalty has been a controversial topic for many years. Some believe the act of punishing a criminal by execution is completely inhumane, while others believe it is a necessary practice needed to keep our society safe. In this annotated bibliography, there are six articles that each argue on whether or not the death penalty should be illegalized. Some authors argue that the death penalty should be illegal because it does not act as a deterrent, and it negatively effects the victim’s families. Other scholar’s state that the death penalty should stay legalized because there is an overcrowding in prisons and it saves innocent’s lives. Whether or not the death penalty should be
The pursuit for happiness has been a quest for man throughout the ages. In his ethics, Aristotle argues that happiness is the only thing that the rational man desires for its own sake, thus, making it good and natural. Although he lists three types of life for man, enjoyment, statesman, and contemplative, it is the philosopher whom is happiest of all due to his understanding and appreciation of reason. Aristotle’s version of happiness is not perceived to include wealth, honor, or trivial
Christianity and Islam are most popular religions in the world. The largest number of people in the earth belongs to either of these two religions. These religions have definitely affected the culture of people. The study if the two religions give insight into the culture of people and it makes it easy to understand other people. Jesus and Mohammad is the founder of the two religions. In order to understand the two religions, it is important that the differences between the two leaders be understood. Islam and Christianity have some similarities and differences (Jestice 2004). This paper looks at the similarities and differences between Jesus and Mohammed.
Epicurus was ascetic to his theories about pleasure and how a person should live their life. If pleasure is a source of enjoyment and delight then Epicurus believed that we should live our lives happy and to the fullest. Living in 2004--today--and reading about what philosophers wrote about long ago about how to life a pleasure-full life makes people reflect on their own lives and see if they are living a "good life."
However, on the other hand, to execute death penalty is also costly. In the article, “Death Penalty Is Too Expensive for States, Study Find”, Warren Richey mentioned about the cost of death penalty. For example, in the article, he said “New York spent $170 million over nine years on capital cases before repealing the death penalty. No executions were carried out there. New Jersey spent $253 million over 25 years with no executions.” He also menti...
The death penalty is an economically wasteful method of punishment. It has been calculated that “if the death penalty was extinguished…we could save $11 million a year” (Locke). While this may not seem a significant sum, ...
If the causes of happiness had to be summed up in one word, that would be “social.” Sure, we can make ourselves happy, but being around other people has more of an affect on you when being around other people. It’s almost like playing on a team in a baseball game. If you play as a whole team, then the pressure isn’t all on you, it’s for the whole team to get the win. It’s been proven that being around other people is more likely to make you happier than being alone. You can’t talk or socialize with anyone being alone. However, it can be a different story being around the wrong people that don’t make us happy. Being around the wrong people can actually hold us back from showing our true emotions on how we feel. If someone that you don't appreciate being around smiles at you, you may smile back, but it is probably a fake smile because it’s not how you truly
Aristippus was one of the first philosophers of ancient Greece to state that the focus of life is pleasure. He said that "The highest good is pleasure, the greatest evil is pain." (Gaarder, 132) Epicurus expanded his ideas around 300 BC, saying that the pleasurable results of an action must always be weighed against its possible side effects. He believed that momentary pleasure should be weighed against the possibility of greater, more lasting, or more intense pleasure in the future (Gaarder, 133). For example, rather than smoking cigarettes everyday for a year, you could save your money and health and instead take a trip ...