A Non-Pacifist Argument Against Capital Punishment Essay -- Argumentat

A Non-Pacifist Argument Against Capital Punishment ABSTRACT: In this paper I present a moral argument against capital punishment that does not depend upon the claim that all killing is immoral. The argument is directed primarily against non-philosophers in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Oddly, the moral argument against capital punishment has not been effective in the United States despite the biblical injunction against killing. Religious supporters of the death penalty often invoke a presumed distinction between ‘killing’ and ‘murdering’ and avow that God forbade the latter but not the former. Self-defense and just wars are cited as cases of morally justified killing. Accepting these premises, I point out that when cases of justified killing in self-defense are altered to include an element of delay, disarming and premeditation, they too become murder. Since the death penalty clearly involves the elements of delay, disarming and premeditation, I conclude that the death penalty is murder in the biblical sen se and ought to be abolished in any God-fearing (or otherwise moral) society. Traditional opposition to capital punishment has generally been based on one or more of the following claims: (1) Capital punishment is immoral because all killing is immoral, (2) Capital punishment is unjust because killing is irreversible, or (3) Capital punishment is ineffective because killing is not a deterrent to killing. I propose to argue instead that capital punishment is immoral because of the kind of killing it is, rather than because it is a kind of killing simpliciter. This is a specifically moral argument, but it differs from the usual pacifist argument in that it does not assert or depend upon the claim that all killing is i... ...emeditation, they too become murder. Since the death penalty clearly involves the elements of delay, disarming, and premeditation, I conclude that the death penalty is murder in the biblical sense and ought to be abolished in any God-fearing society. Notes (1) Haines, Herbert H., Against Capital Punishment, p. 163 (2) Shin, Kilman, Death Penalty and Crime: Empirical Studies, p. 4-5 Bibliography Haines, Herbert H., Against Capital Punishment: The Anti-Death Penalty Movement in America, 1972-1994; New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996 Hart, Harold H. (ed.), Punishment: For & Against; New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1971 Shin, Kilman, Death Penalty and Crime: Empirical Studies; Fairfax, VA: George Mason University Center for Economic Analysis, 1978 Sorell, Tom, Moral Theory and Capital Punishment; Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1987

Othello’s Image Essay

This statement by A. C. Bradley examines the Othello character in an interesting light that perhaps gives a false image of the play. The first statement Bradley makes is that Othello is â€Å"a man of mystery, exoticism and intense feeling†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These facts ring true. Othello is a mysterious foreigner who holds intense feeling for the struggles he has faced. The second statement Bradley makes however is lost on me. †¦trustful, open, passionate but self-controlled†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bradley believes Othello to be all these things when he clearly is a man who has many personal issues that are fully explored during the play. I completely disagreed with most of what Bradley stated about the character Othello. When he speaks of Othello being trustful I cannot help but think of the jealousy he was overcome with when he thought Desdemona was having an affair with Michael Cassio. Othello never searched out the answers from Desdemona herself, instead Iago is the one sought out for answers. Othello fell into a trance upon hearing that they lay together and that Desdemona has given Cassio his treasured handkerchief. This does not seem like a trusting man but one who becomes highly jealous without knowing the full story. Bradley was clearly not thinking straight when he came up with this analysis of Othello as a character and as a person. Othello also was not a self-controlled man as Bradley seems to believe he was. Othello was easily taken over by rage and jealousy which would lead him to unsightly things. In Act IV Scene I Othello strikes Desdemona after she mentions her move for Cassio, Othello misunderstands the love she has for Cassio and reacts irrationally. This highlights Othello’s own inability to remain self-controlled. Another example is Act V Scene II when Othello kills Desdemona. Othello is so enraged by jealousy and has been manipulated by his dear friend Iago that he loses all self-control, killing Desdemona in her bed. This highlighted the weakness in character of Othello that he would kill an innocent woman as she lay.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses Study Questions Essay

Introduction- â€Å"Vital Fluids† 1. The author’s main thesis in setting up this book is that many drinks have built and brought together human history in to what we know about it. 2. The fluids that are mentioned in the book are vital because each one played a role in many areas of history and they are a crucial part of creating a certain period of history. â€Å"Beer in Mesopotamia and Egypt† 1. The discovery of beer is linked to the growth of the first civilizations because in both cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt, beer was the main drink. It was consumed by everyone and was known as the defining drink of both of the first great civilizations. 2. The history of beer tells us that those people were intelligent enough to†¦show more content†¦5. In Rome wine was seen as a necessity by the people and they felt like they needed to drink it while in Greece it was just seen as a leisure drink. 6. Wine is a part of a Catholic ritual where wine symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ and Christianity began in the Roman Empire and became an important force in Europe after the change between Emperor Constantine. Wine was also uses for medical purposes as a pain killer. â€Å"Spirits in the Colonial Period† 1. The origin of distilled spirits came from the Arabs. 2. The connection between spirits and colonization is that, spirits became an economic good of great importance that with their taxation and control became matters of high political importance and helped determine the course of history. 3. The production of spirits is connected to slavery because the African slavers who supplied the Europeans with slaves, most valued spirits as a trade offer. The African slavers accepted a wide range of products in exchange but it was known that the spirits played as a main role in the trade for slaves. 4. 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