In Support of the Death Penalty - 3813 Words

In Support of the Death Penalty Introduction From the ethical perspective of philosopher John Rawls who said that justice should be described asâ€Å" a fair system of arrangements; one that the parties can agree to without knowing how it will benefit them personally† , the death penalty must be considered just and right as it creates a fair balance between the act that has been committed and the punishment that has been dealt (Williams 78). Rawls supports the idea of an original position from which society chooses principles based on a veil of ignorance, its ideal judicial system developed not from personal tastes and interests, but from a socially moral position. From this perspective, the death†¦show more content†¦According to Wolff, political philosophy is the philosophy of the state. As he discusses the concept of authority, he brings to the forefront that the group of people who hold authority have it because they claim it, they have taken the right to be obeye d, whether by birth, election, or force. Whomever is the authority of a land is so because when the opportunity came to have it, they claimed it (8). In contrast, the right and obligation of a person to autonomy comes into conflict with the concept of authority. Wolff suggests that â€Å"the primary obligation of a man is autonomy, the refusal to be ruled† (18), but he also states that a person is responsible for their actions, thus the tension between authority and autonomy must be refined. Where the line is drawn between personal rights to autonomy and the rights of the state to have authority is the ideological basis of the United States, its founders suggesting that the rights of the state does not supersede the individual rights of the person. Therefore, the right to have life comes into conflict with the death penalty as it is put to the question whether or not the state has the right to take life from an individual. This is the debate that rages within the world, and m ost of the world has acquiesced to the idea that the state has no right to take the inalienable right of life from an individual. Social contract theory, defines the relationship betweenShow MoreRelatedSupport of the Death Penalty Essay689 Words   |  3 PagesI do support the death penalty and I do not consider it cruel or unusual treatment. The Constitution itself indicates that the death penalty can be used. Amendment V of the Constitution states that â€Å"†¦no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law†¦.† (U.S. Const., amend V). In other words, once a person has gone through the due process of law, his life can be taken if he is found guilty. There is a common misconception that murderers do not think about theRead MoreThe Death Penalty And Why I Support It1232 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction â€Å"Death row is a nightmare to serial killers and ax murderers† (Grisham). It definitely should be. Today i m going to talk to you about the death penalty and why I support it. America is split on the issue of the death penalty. Acording to proccon.org 31 states currently allow the death penalty while there are 19 states that do not ( â€Å"Top 10 Pros and Cons - Death Penalty - ProCon.org†). I find the topic of the death penalty very interesting and it is something that I feel stronglyRead MoreEssay about I Cannot Support The Death Penalty960 Words   |  4 Pagesapplication of the Death Penalty by many states. When we discussed this policy while I was in a Bible class in high school, I could not decide if I was for or against the Death Penalty. For instance are we supposed to forgive our neighbors of their sins, or is it an eye for an eye? After some research and some careful consideration I have come to an opinion concerning the death penalty. I cannot support it. I cannot support it for several reasons. These reasons include, the cost of a death sentence, theRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is A Controversial Issue1171 Words   |  5 PagesThe death penalty is a very controversial topic worldwide. People are either for the death penalty, or against it, and there is usually no changing their mind by introducing arguments that are contrary to their opinion. The death penalt y debate is not a new one, â€Å"capital punishment [has been] practiced since colonial times despite persistent debates† (Jost). However, it was around the 1960s when countries began to abolish, or strictly restrain the death penalty (Jost). The death penalty has existedRead MoreA Critical Analysis of the Death Penalty1646 Words   |  7 Pagesdebate on whether or not the death penalty should be abolished has been ongoing for quite a long period of time. While there are those who believe that the death penalty does not serve its intended purpose, proponents of the same are convinced that the relevance of the same cannot be overstated and hence it should not be abolished. In this text, I examine the arguments for and against the death penalty. The Death Penalty: A Brief Overview In basic terms, the death penalty according to Stearman isRead MoreThe Death Penalty : A Multi Level Analysis Of Public Opinion1179 Words   |  5 PagesIn society, the death penalty is used to punish those who had committed certain types of crimes. Over the years, the percentage of US citizens supporting the death penalty has decrease, however Proximally 64%-70% of the population still support it. The majority of the polls created to evaluate the opinion of citizens on the death penalty use simple questions to address the issue. Those questions separate people into those against it and those supporting it. The death penalty opinion is more complexRead MoreArgumentative Essay On The Death Penalty957 Words   |  4 PagesThe death Penalty is a very controversial topic to many. Some believe that the death penalty should not only be in place but there should be more executions every year. While others believe that the death penalty is going out of style and it is not serving its purp ose of deterring crime as it did before. Although there are many claims supporting both sides still over half of Americans are for capital punishment in some way, but what causes someone to be sentenced to death? According to the articleRead MoreEssay on Summary: the Changing Nature of Death Penalty Debates.894 Words   |  4 Pageshow the death penalty argument has changed in the last 25 years in the United States. They examine six specific issues: deterrence, incapacitation, caprice and bias, cost innocence and retribution; and how public opinion has change regarding these issues. They argue that social science research is changing the way Americans view the death penalty and suggest that Americans are moving toward an eventual abolition of the death penalty. The authors describe the history of the death penalty statuesRead MoreCapital Punishment : Is It Ethical?983 Words   |  4 Pagesmorals and ethical views there are people who agree and disagree with what is and is not ethical. The death penalty is one of these things that people cannot agree whether it is ethical to do or not. My article focuses on how big names in politics feel about capital punishment and whether they stand for it or not. Capital punishment is when someone commits a horrible crime they can be put on death row, and then they will be killed as punishment for the crime that they have committed. Before readingRead MoreThe Death Penalty Should Be Endorsed: An Opinion Essay649 Words   |  3 PagesThe Death Penalty: The debate regarding the death penalty is an issue that has continued to attract huge controversies in the past few years. Consequently, public opinion about the death penalty has relatively changed in the recent years though this concept has less support unlike mid-1990s. The main reason for the minimal support of the death penalty originates from the fact that its proponents cite similar reasons to those provided by its supporters two decades ago. The major factors that have