The Death Penalty in Civilised Society

This post is based on a tweet by Philo-Experiments and also an essay on the topic of punishment.

The news story which is linked to in the above tweet is one which made me think. In Japan, the condemned prisoner is not told when they will be executed, nor do they get the opportunity to have their execution witnessed by their relatives.

After a very quick bit of research, there were 18 countries which executed a person in 2009, with the People’s Republic of China topping the table at an estimated 1700 prisoners executed in 2009 alone.

The use of a death penalty is advocated in many countries for the most sever of crimes such as murder and rape, however in some countries it is common to be executed for drug related offences. Even more shockingly, it is possible to be executed in China for theft, and in Iran for homosexuality.

Should a civilised society retain the death penalty?

According to the Catholic church, there are circumstances where the state can execute a prisoner, if that is the only way to defend society from the offender.

Personally, I cannot condone the use of execution in civilised society. I cannot get past the problems of execution being the killing of one person by another.

A key part of society is maintaining social order, and whilst execution for murder and drug trafficking could be argued to help keep that order I do not feel the same can be said for executing a homosexual, and to some extent a thief.

To consider the use of execution, a society must ask itself a very important question: Does this really rebalance the situation?

If, for instance, a man has murdered his wife and children. Detaining him indefinitely will do the same for society as executing him. All his detention or execution will do is protect society from that individual. In both cases, he is no longer a danger to the general public. However, one punishment would probably cost society less financially.

This may be the heart of the issue for some. It is economically better for the state if that individual was to be executed, as they would not have the associated costs of imprisonment for the duration of that persons natural life.

What are your views on the use of the death penalty?

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”

                                                        Mahatma Gandhi

Leisure - W.H. Davies

As the ‘tagline’ of my blog suggests, life in the city is something which I hope to write about.

However, one thing I have learnt since moving from a quiet town to a bustling city is that time alone with your thoughts is hard to come by. Next time you are on the daily commute to work, stuck in traffic or simply just looking for something to watch on tv, just think about the last time you took a walk in a park, or had 5 minutes to yourself with no distractions.

Most of you will no doubt know the poem which this post is about. For those of you unfamiliar with it, I have provided a link to it here. I am simply that kind :p

This is not going to be a rant about how our beautiful countryside is being destroyed in the name of progress or whatever.

I admit that for those of us who spend our time in the urban forest of tall buildings, glass and concrete the poem may sound as though it is a ode to bygone days. However most cities have parks and green spaces where wildlife can thrive. Indeed, even if they don’t, you’ll be amazed at what you can notice when standing on the train platform or sitting in traffic on the motorway.

In my first post to this blog, I commented on my philosophical interests, and ancient philosophy was one of those interests.

The only thing which sets us apart from animals is that we are able to contemplate, reflect on things as we see them, and we have self awareness. Whilst it has been shown that some animals do have self awareness, we do not know the extent to which this goes.

If you go about life simply moving from A to B, without taking time out for yourself to enjoy your surroundings, experience life in it’s fullest and become a more aware person then you are not enjoying life. You may feel that work and money are giving you enjoyment, however if you’re not aware of what is happening around you, or you do not take time to connect with yourself then how much do you truly value your life?

“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.”

                                                                        Aristotle

You can go through life in an effort to survive, or you can truly live your life and respect the value which our relatively short time has.

Can God create a stone so heavy he cannot roll it?

I can’t remember where I heard that line last, although I do know it was on television. I want to say it was in an episode of Bones I watched last night, perhaps it was.

But, that is not the point.

The point is, the topic of this post is about the qualities of God (for the purpose of this blog, I shall be using “God” to mean the Christian interpretation of God).

For those of you who are unaware of the traditional qualities of God, they are as follows:

1) Omnipotence - All powerful

2) Omnisicience - All knowing

3) Omnibenevolence - All loving

4) Omnipresent - Everywhere

So this question relies on the first quality. Can God create a stone so heavy he cannot roll it? Well, his omnipotence is challenged regardless of which answer you give. In my opinion, the only correct answer would be “Maybe”, or more accurately, “I don’t know”.

These qualities have been ascribed to God by humans, and as such we do not know them to be correct. If God could create the stone, then he isn’t all powerful, and in the same way, if he cannot create the stone then he is also not all powerful. For some, this shows a logical inconsistency in God, however I believe it is a case of humans misinterpreting the qualities which God possesses. To put it another way, God cannot live up to our expectations.

The concept of God which many people hold is fallible, not because humans are imperfect, but rather because humans have no direct knowledge of God. We’re effectively guessing what qualities he has.

If you were to be on facebook or an online dating site, and you guessed at the qualities of a person you have never met based on things others have said about them, there is a high chance that your conclusion will be wrong. However, when it came to experiencing that person first hand, you wouldn’t complain that they weren’t living up to your expectations, but rather you’d adapt your view of them.

This is what must be done, in my opinion, in regard to God. Some people do already do that; they see suffering in the world and believe that a God should intervene. If he doesn’t, then they may lose their faith, or they will alter their opinion. Just as you would with any other person.

Whether there is indeed a God is something that has puzzled not only philosophers, but humanity as a whole. I may touch upon that topic in another post, I do not know yet if I wish to cross that minefield.

What I do know however, is that you are reading this blog. That tells me that you have an interest in philosophy.

Approach all issues with an open mind, and forget all your previous opinions and what you believe to be true. If you do that, then you may find new and intriguing results coming from your own philosophical investigations.

Think about the question which this post is based on, and comment below with your thoughts. Philosophy is not something to be done on your own. You cannot ask yourself a question and get anything other than one answer back.

A little about me

My dissertation was on the application of empathic care ethics in healthcare, so essentially it boils down to bioethics and feminist ethics. I also take an interest in phenomenology (analysis and reflection on the structure of consciousness), metaphysics (the being of the world), and the philosophy of social science, with the obligatory interest in ancient philosophy.

So, you may be able to guess what sort of things might appear in this blog. I have a few ideas as to what I want to write about, but I will hopefully be able to keep the blog posts short. One of the things which I believe prevents a lot of people from taking an active interest in philosophy is that a lot of texts contain far too many technical terms, they presume a philosophical background and generally are too long.

The aim of this blog is to be an easy, enjoyable read. Open to everyone, regardless of your "level" of philosophy, and with the ultimate aim of opening philosophy to the greater public.

As Plato said "There is only one good, which is knowledge, and one evil, which is ignorance". So this blog will work towards the good.