The Death Penalty: For and AgainstTwo distinguished social and political philosophers take opposing positions in this highly engaging work. Louis P. Pojman justifies the practice of execution by appealing to the principle of retribution: we deserve to be rewarded and punished according to the virtue or viciousness of our actions. He asserts that the death penalty does deter some potential murderers and that we risk the lives of innocent people who might otherwise live if we refuse to execute those deserving that punishment. Jeffrey Reiman argues that although the death penalty is a just punishment for murder, we are not morally obliged to execute murderers. Since we lack conclusive evidence that executing murderers is an effective deterrent and because we can foster the advance of civilization by demonstrating our intolerance for cruelty in our unwillingness to kill those who kill others, Reiman concludes that it is good in principle to avoid the death penalty, and bad in practice to impose it. |
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abolitionist American argued Bedau best bet argument capital punishment civilization claim commit commonsense argument conclusion convicted crime criminal's death penalty death penalty deters death row defend deter rational deterrent effect discriminatory duty to give duty to punish Ehrlich's Émile Durkheim equal equivalent essay evidence evil example executing murderers facie duty fairness fear follows Golden Rule guilty Haag Haag's harm caused homicide Hugo human Immanuel Kant imposed imprisonment inflict injustice innocent Jeffrey Reiman John Rawls justified justly deserved Kant kill less lex talionis lives Louis Pojman mens rea ment Michael Davis Mike Royko moral needed to deter notion offender deserves pain person Philosophy Pojman prima facie duty principle prison sentences reason refraining regard rehabilitation response retribution retributivism retributivist seems sense social society someone suffering theory thesis tion torture torturers treat unfair advantage utilitarian van den Haag vehicular homicide victim violates worth wrong