Capital Punishment Utilitarianism
Capital Punishment is a highly controversial and emotional subject in which most people seem to have strong opinions. The debate is by no means new, however, in my opinion, the death penalty is cruel and inhumane. During biblical time, capital punishment has been an issue.
In writing this paper, I intend to argue the topic from a utliitarian point of view using Rawls Priciple of Justice. Utilitarianism revolves around the concept of “the end justifies the means.” It believes that theoutcomes as a result of an action have a greater value compared to the latter. It also states that the most ethical thing to do is to take advantage of happiness for the good of the society.
In the United States, controversy over capital punishment began in colonial …show more content…
It is the consequentialist theory, where the emphasis is on consequences, not intentions. The classical utilitarianism theoy of John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham agreed that actions are judeged by the virtures of their consequences and also added that the pursuit and the production of happiness should be taken into consideration. This theory is summarized in three claims known as the consequentialist claim, the happiness claim and the objectivity claim. Claim one states that the actions are to be judged right or wrong solely by the virtue of their consequences. The second claim of happiness states that the only thing that matters when assessing the consequences of an action is the amount of happiness or unhappiness that is created, everything else being irrelevant. And finally, the third claim of objectivity when measuring the amount of happiness resulted by the consequence of an action, each person’s happiness should be counted as equally important. According to utilitarianism views we are to do whatever will increase the amount of happiness in the …show more content…
Innocent people may be executed just for the sake of promoting general welfare. In addition, the death penalty is irreversible, even if an executed person was proved later to be innocent; he cannot be given another chance under the death penalty. Statistics have shown that in the last 100 years, eight cases where innocent people have actually been executed. That may not seem like a lot, but what is the price for someone’s life? It also goes against the betterment of society because the actually offeneders were no
In writing this paper, I intend to argue the topic from a utliitarian point of view using Rawls Priciple of Justice. Utilitarianism revolves around the concept of “the end justifies the means.” It believes that theoutcomes as a result of an action have a greater value compared to the latter. It also states that the most ethical thing to do is to take advantage of happiness for the good of the society.
In the United States, controversy over capital punishment began in colonial …show more content…
It is the consequentialist theory, where the emphasis is on consequences, not intentions. The classical utilitarianism theoy of John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham agreed that actions are judeged by the virtures of their consequences and also added that the pursuit and the production of happiness should be taken into consideration. This theory is summarized in three claims known as the consequentialist claim, the happiness claim and the objectivity claim. Claim one states that the actions are to be judged right or wrong solely by the virtue of their consequences. The second claim of happiness states that the only thing that matters when assessing the consequences of an action is the amount of happiness or unhappiness that is created, everything else being irrelevant. And finally, the third claim of objectivity when measuring the amount of happiness resulted by the consequence of an action, each person’s happiness should be counted as equally important. According to utilitarianism views we are to do whatever will increase the amount of happiness in the …show more content…
Innocent people may be executed just for the sake of promoting general welfare. In addition, the death penalty is irreversible, even if an executed person was proved later to be innocent; he cannot be given another chance under the death penalty. Statistics have shown that in the last 100 years, eight cases where innocent people have actually been executed. That may not seem like a lot, but what is the price for someone’s life? It also goes against the betterment of society because the actually offeneders were no