The Death Penalty Is Morally Wrong

Superior Essays
Today, most if not all societies rebuke the killing of another person, however, many of these same places condone the death penalty for those criminals who have committed horrendous acts. Although it seems to be universally true that murder is wrong, there are societies that view the death penalty as being an acceptable form of murder. The question then arises whether killing in certain cases can be justified. Those in favor of the death penalty commonly turn to anger as being a justifiable reason to the death penalty while those opposed to capital punishment hold strong to the belief that killing, no matter who is doing it or why is always wrong. Murder, in all cases, is morally wrong because it robs the victim of their human dignity which is universally viewed as being a right for …show more content…
If faced with a life-threatening situation where someone holds a gun to your head then you are morally justified to defend yourself. However, one should try to do all that is possible to stop or harm their assailant but also do their best to not kill them. If you kill them you are morally wrong but should not face punishment due to the circumstances. Therefore, if we want to teach that killing is morally wrong, we must not make any exceptions.
Capital punishment is a necessity because it is the only answer that will solve a community’s anger. Anger should not always be viewed negatively, it shows our care for victims and disgust for criminals doing such horrendous crimes. Anger is a passion that only humans can feel and it acknowledges the humanity of its objects by holding them accountable for what they do. It recognizes that only men have the capacity to be moral beings which therefore acknowledges the dignity of all humans. Therefore, anger is neither selfish nor unjustified, it is a reflection of our profound care for others. If one does not get angry by the suffering of others they lack the qualities of a good person and that

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    The death penalty is the most severe form of current legal punishment. The question that is hotly debated is if this form of legal punishment is just and necessary. Hugo Bedau argues that capital punishment is not ethically acceptable. On the other hand, Ernest Van Den Haag argues that this penalty is completely necessary. This paper will summarize both opinions and give two reasons why the death penalty should be abolished, both from a ethical point of view and from a practical perspective.…

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    nobody deserves to die for committing crime by mistake or without conscious, so the main point for human rights examinations must be that the death penalty is disproportionate with fundamental human rights standards. "Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."(Martin Luther King). Capital punishment may have impact in expanding violence mentalities in a society which might increase the quantity of crimes rate in countries that practiced it.…

    • 178 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Taking the life of another has been considered a heinous crime that is worthy of capital punishment; but should taking the life of a person who has taken the life of another be justified? Is the murderer’s life less important than that of the person whose life he took? The death penalty has been the highest form of punishment around the United States, execution of innocent men, its negative influence on our society and the offence it has against human rights are all concerns that make the capital punishment wrong. The first established death penalty laws date as far back ats the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jonah Goldberg is the editor of National Review Online and author of The Tyranny of Clichés: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas. He takes the standpoint in favor of the death penalty and that those who oppose it, whatever the intention, cannot hold against the argument. A minor point of his would be that opponents tend to avoid cases where the audience would not sympathize with their argument. After reading his article “Why Death Penalty Opponents Can’t Win,” I agree with his opinion because it deters crime, there are cases where uncertainty is not an issue, and it is just to execute a criminal who deserves to be executed. It is difficult to defend politically the death penalty in a country where thirty-one out of fifty states favor it.…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For those whom like to act as if they were God and take a life intentionally deserves to be punished. In fact, other than God whom can punish someone are the jails and prison that house these types of individuals. There are some cold blooded killers out in the world, along with some individuals whom are not mentally able to make conscious delinquent actions. In fact these types of people become inmates inside of correctional institutions that are housed in supermax sanctions have prompted arguments regarding people are for or against the death penalty, the bans on executions on the mentally retarded and juveniles are also addressed. Giving that this world is filled with a very mixed cultural background of all kinds of human beings.…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In this paper I have presented both an argument in favor of the death penalty and against the death penalty. To start with there is a brief history of capital punishment including some important legal cases. Many arguments can be made as to the morality of execution, below I describe the deterrent effects as well as a common view held by Immanuel Kant in support of capital punishment. Both of these views are shared by many people. In opposition to capital punishment I have considered the fundamental view that killing, even a murderer, is wrong and the morality of charging juries with understanding the laws that govern sentencing.…

    • 1862 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to the statistics “murder is the third cause of occupational death among men, and leading cause among women” (Tucker). People believe that the “victims of the crimes are also the principal witnesses” and one way to prevent the witnesses from testifying against you is “to kill them” (Tucker). Data also shows that when death penalty was abolished “murder rates nearly tripled, rising to an all-time high in the 1980’s” (Tucker). Therefore, people believe that death penalty is a justified law as it help keep the crime and murder rates at a lower level.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    ‘Killing people is wrong’, a statement everyone can stand behind, however, in some arguments, would depend on who did the killing (Koch 483). The death penalty has been under the watchful eye of the United States population for some time now, and has developed an audience on both sides of the argument. Many believe the death penalty is morally wrong, alluding to scriptures from the Bible. Others would argue the death penalty is a way of justice for the murderers and ultimately for the victims. The light shed from opposing views could help reach a resolve and put the issue at rest, however, in the meantime, one must pull from both sides to decide for themselves.…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice." Desmond Tutu said this and I could not agree more. I think that capital punishment is morality wrong, and that Walter Berns’ “The Morality of Capital Punishment” article in Exploring Ethics fails on many grounds. Berns uses anger and a politically correct government to advocate the use of capital punishment. I am going to try and prove that Burns is wrong, and that by killing we are only fueling the fire and a continuous cycle.…

    • 1468 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why Do We Need to Understand Capital Punishment? According to the National Academy of Sciences (2014), 1 out of every 25 criminals are wrongfully convicted, yet despite this horrific fact, many countries still impose the death penalty on those found guilty of a serious crime, a punishment that is inhumane, horrible, and goes against all human rights. 140 countries have abolished the death penalty because, it does not serve justice, and it only serves as revenge. Amnesty (International. 2016).…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Many people argue about whether Capital punishment is ethical, moral and even legal. I will cover the history, supporters and opponents, The Divine Command Theory and Kant’s theory for capital punishment. Executions were practiced as early eighteenth…

    • 1535 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Murder Is Murder Wrong

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Although the idea of murder may seem unjust to us, some societies believe murder is an acceptable behavior. Professor of Philosophy, James Rachels, states that “morality differs from one culture to another. ”This concept is widely known as Cultural Relativism. Even though murder is a controversial topic around the world; I truly believe murder is wrong no matter what because of society’s moral code, sixth commandants, and desire for survival. Murder is considered one of the most serious criminal offenses in the moral code of our society.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Capital Punishment: An Annotated Bibliography When considering the possibility that capital punishment could be justified as a response towards evil action. Approvingly that capital punishment is an appropriate crime punishment in a response to murder, “the greatest crime known to the law.” As capital punishment is not morally permissible as a response to evil, then it cannot be permissible morally. If capital punishment cannot be justified towards a response in evils acts, when will it ever be justified.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Capital Punishment: an Act of Justice or Revenge? To many, executing the offender of a heinous and violent murder is seen as an act of justice and retribution, and is an essential aspect of maintaining moral balance, however, perhaps the stronger and more substantial position is that the death penalty is a barbarous act of revenge, motivated by emotion rather than logic. According to the “Retributive Justice Theory” those who break the law deserve to suffer punishment, and likewise, deserve to be punished in proportion to the crime committed.…

    • 1554 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One of the most debated ethical issues throughout the entire history of man, has been capital punishment (death penalty). Is it necessary, and more importantly, is it moral to put someone to death for a crime which they have committed? This questions has been raised and debated in every country and at every period of time, as far back as known history will allow us to observe. This paper will present and discuss the dilemma of capital punishment on ethical grounds and present arguments both for and against capital punishment. This paper will also look at the history and evolution of capital punishment, as well as attempt to gauge what will become of the practice in the foreseeable future.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics