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Capital Punishment: Problem Case 2.
Capital punishment is an emotive subject that presents us with a serious moral dilemma. On one side you could argue, like Kant, that the punishment should fit the crime and therefore capital punishment should be used in cases of murder. Moreover, you could argue that capital punishment deters criminals from murdering through fear of being put to death. On the other hand one could argue that capital punishment is in itself murder and the use of such retribution is immoral and contrary to the rights of an individual. However, it seems to me that the advocates of capital punishment have based their arguments on unsubstantiated evidence. ... Therefore, Haag proposes that there is a gamble to be made; if capital punishment is a deterrent then by not imposing it could lead to the death of innocent people and surely it would be better to gamble with the life of a murderer than that of an innocent. ... Pojman would have us believe that although there is a lack of evidence common sense tells us that fear is the greatest of deterrents and people fear the death penalty more than any other form of punishment.
Therefore, according to Pojman, capital punishment is a deterrent in that it deters potential murderers through fear of execution. Again such an argument has no supporting evidence and is therefore the opinion of a capital punishment supporter.
In opposition to the arguments highlighted above Anthony G Amsterdam disputes the excuses put forward by capital punishment’s supporters and insists that the death penalty as a means of deterrence or retribution is immoral. ... He sees that retribution is an unfounded theory in respect to capital punishment and the idea of deterrence is at best debatable. Moreover, his opposition to capital punishment reflects my own in that ‘Murders and executions are both ugly, vicious things, because they destroy the same sacred and mysterious gift of life which we do not understand and can never restore.
Approximate Word count = 1606
Approximate Pages = 6.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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