A Philosophical Approach to Capital Punishment Essay

The America that we live in today is one that is divided in more ways that we can imagine. Issues such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, and political views are all issues that polarize our great nation. Within each of these categories lie more specific and focused issues that can be as equally debated and unsettled. Issues such as abortion, gay rights and other ideas that deal with human liberty and freedom are often considered to be hot button issues in politics and can even invoke strong enough emotions to influence presidential elections. One issue of this nature that has been the topic of great discussion and debate over the last century, especially in the United States, is the idea of capital†¦show more content†¦Before examining the death penalty, it is important that we take a close look at the idea of punishment and the role it plays in our society today. The idea of punishment itself may seem simple however it is more complex than you may imagine. Punishment in and of itself, by definition, is the intentional infliction of pain or harm on another individual in response to a wrong that they have done. This idea of causing intentional harm may seem indefensible to many and the idea of capital punishment takes those feeling to an even greater extreme . Before we can fully understand how the death penalty can fit into our system of punishment, we must first know what the main goals of punishment are. According to Thiroux, there are four main requirements of punishment: It must involve unpleasantness of some sort, it must be imposed or endured for some reason, it should be imposed by some person or group that has â€Å"duly constituted† moral or legal authority and it must be imposed according to certain rules or law . The way the death penalty is administered in the United States allows for it to check all four of those boxes. With these four ideas in mind, it is now time to examine three unique and promi nent theories of punishment: retributive, utilitarian and restitution. The retributive theory, also known as the deserts theory, states that the punishment thatShow MoreRelatedThe Execution Of An Inmate Essay867 Words   |  4 Pagesimposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted† (amend. XIII). considering the possibility of an execution going as badly as Lockett’s, we must ask if we are violating this amendment. The execution of an inmate is also likely to bring up issues of faith, Romans 12:18 states â€Å"leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the lord† (Rom. 12.18). Morality should determine where we go as a country, including the punishments we invoke. 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