Capital Punishment has been around for hundreds of years and was brought to America by the Europeans in the early 1600s; The first recorded death being back in 1608. Back in that time the Death Penalty was used in many cases from thievery to murder, making it the social norm during that time. Though in today’s society, capital punishment has been deemed by some as inhumane or morally wrong. In some ways it’s become a political issue in which a higher percentage of Republicans favor the death penalty more so than Democrats. A famous American philosopher, Jeffrey Reiman, has developed his opinion on the death Penalty as being acceptable based off the Retribution argument, yet it is morally permissible to be merciful in these cases. Reiman believes
…show more content…
Kant’s ideology is to treat people as ends rather than as a means, meaning we respect the ends they choose for themselves, but we can’t allow them to use others as a means for their doings, so you have to punish them for their acts. Kant also believes the punishment ought to match the crime, if someone murders someone else, they themselves should be put to death. I go along with Kant’s idea of punishment, and disagree with Reiman’s thoughts on capital punishment. I believe if a person goes out of their way to kill someone for reasons other then defense or protection, then they are committing the worst possible crime. May it be revenge, religious reasons, or even enjoyment, none of these are acceptable enough to deem murder morally acceptable. When it comes to punishing these murderers, I believe the basic Retribution Argument settles the matter quiet appropriately. Equality in society means the person who commits the act deserves the same suffering in which they inflicted, meaning the only suitable punishment to murder is being put to death, so murderers should be killed. Though Capital punishment is seen as inhumane, I see that as if they are willing to take the life of a person, then it is more then acceptable to do the same to them. Many things factor into life in jail versus death penalty such as, if the person is 90 years old and kills someone most likely if they’re put on jail they only have to worry about a few years in jail before they die which isn’t very severe. The Death Penalty is a very intense form of punishment that would probably deter many from killing someone else. My opinion is people are scared of death, making the death penalty a great deterrence for murder. Life if jail just provides murderers with a place with shelter, food, and sometimes socialization, but is just a more confined way of living. Someone who lives on the street or in the cold for example may find this
Kant’s ideology is to treat people as ends rather than as a means, meaning we respect the ends they choose for themselves, but we can’t allow them to use others as a means for their doings, so you have to punish them for their acts. Kant also believes the punishment ought to match the crime, if someone murders someone else, they themselves should be put to death. I go along with Kant’s idea of punishment, and disagree with Reiman’s thoughts on capital punishment. I believe if a person goes out of their way to kill someone for reasons other then defense or protection, then they are committing the worst possible crime. May it be revenge, religious reasons, or even enjoyment, none of these are acceptable enough to deem murder morally acceptable. When it comes to punishing these murderers, I believe the basic Retribution Argument settles the matter quiet appropriately. Equality in society means the person who commits the act deserves the same suffering in which they inflicted, meaning the only suitable punishment to murder is being put to death, so murderers should be killed. Though Capital punishment is seen as inhumane, I see that as if they are willing to take the life of a person, then it is more then acceptable to do the same to them. Many things factor into life in jail versus death penalty such as, if the person is 90 years old and kills someone most likely if they’re put on jail they only have to worry about a few years in jail before they die which isn’t very severe. The Death Penalty is a very intense form of punishment that would probably deter many from killing someone else. My opinion is people are scared of death, making the death penalty a great deterrence for murder. Life if jail just provides murderers with a place with shelter, food, and sometimes socialization, but is just a more confined way of living. Someone who lives on the street or in the cold for example may find this