Preview

is it right to kill?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
777 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
is it right to kill?
Is it right to kill?

Is it right to kill? This ethical question has been asked throughout time, I believe there is no straight forward answer for it, and this a debateable question as it can change according to the situation. Many people have different opinions and views on if killing is right or wrong. In this essay I will be explaining whether I believe if killing is right.
There are several groups of people who share different views on this question and make their decision on killing someone depending on rules, motives and consequence. There is one group who base their decisions on consequences, they are called utilitarian’s, they are a group of people that act in a way that brings about the most amount of happiness for the most amount of people. An example to show this is The Joker and Batman, should batman kill the Joker? From a utilitarian’s perspective, they would say yes kill The Joker because only one person is killed and it is saving more people and bringing happiness to them.
Another group is called absolutists; an absolutist would say no you should not kill The Joker because no matter what the moral rule should never be broken, the moral rule is you should never take the life of someone. Religious people may have the same beliefs as absolutists because they also follow rules, such as the Ten Commandments or because they believe God has given them rules. An absolutist might say ‘The Joker is a human and we should never take a human’s life’, referring to the Ten Commandments, a religious person is likely to agree. Non- religious are most likely to be utilitarian’s because religious people and absolutists believe it is bad to kill. There are pro’s and con’s in being a utilitarianism, the pro is because it brings the most happiness of more people in the end, but the con is you are still killing someone and in the end someone will die. For example there is a fire in a building, your sibling is on your left and 5 strangers are on your right, you can

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Some people might agree with the death penalty. Families get devastated when someone they love and care about has died. Its different when that person they care so much about has been murdered or killed. People tend to hate that person and have the urge to do just about anything to them in order for them to suffer, which causes us to take, revenge on them. This matter has lead to the death penalty. This is a punishment that slowly kills the man or woman that has committed the crime. Why should we have pity on those who choose to kill? If they felt powerful enough to kill, then we should be able to do the same to them. Whatever their reason is that they choose to kill they should be punished someway, somehow.…

    • 288 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Euthanasia, the ‘mercy killing’, has definitely been one of the most difficult ethical dilemmas. Euthanasia is defined “an action or an omission, aimed at and causally implicated in, the death of another for her/his own sake” (Foot, 1997, as cited in Robert, 2004, p. 145). Euthanasia differs from murder, because the action causing the death is for the sake of the person to be killed. Someone might say that the person wanted to die anyway, so why ending his or her lives can be wrong? Is active euthanasia –acting to end the life of another- ever a right moral action? It is not an easy debate whether it is right or wrong to help end someone’s life. Some people might argue that active euthanasia is morally wrong, because there is no objective measure of suffering (Robert, 2004). It can, however, be said that active euthanasia can also be justifiable, because it is to end the person’s misery. The purpose of this paper is to debate whether active euthanasia is ever permissible. This will be accomplished by analyzing the case study: “Active Euthanasia with Parental Consent” (Robert, 2004, p. 153) and providing the best possible moral resolution. The paper will then discuss conclusion.…

    • 2024 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is an established fact, that capital punishment is still conducted in many countries of the earth. People are being sentenced to death every day and in my essay I am going to respond to the ethic question whether death penalty serves as a justified and valid form of punishment.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A. (Preliminary answer:) evildoing is inordinate desire (= cupidity) (1.3, pp. 5–6). Inordinate desire is…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    If we examine some arguments presented from both sides, opponents of the capital punishment claim that executing someone is nothing more than an immoral, state-authorized killing which undervalues the human life and destroys our respect for our government which itself says that killing is wrong. But the supporters of the death penalty think that certain murderers do deserve nothing less than a death for themselves and that although everyone is born with the right to live, criminals lose these rights at the moment when they take away the rights of another human and only by punishing them in such way, the society is affirming the value which is placed on the victim’s right to live.…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    With consideration to absolute moral prohibition, it would be wrong to murder any number of innocent persons, despite any beneficial consequences. The benefits of murdering one would not outweigh the means of the action.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    As a citizen of the United States, I am part of an institution that has been, and is currently, killing people. Whether or not all or some of these killings are ethically defensible is a difficult question to answer and most people simply never confront the issue. I will evaluate literature on the topic, identify the different justifications for killing in time of war and decide if they legitimize our actions. After describing some compelling arguments, I will defend my own position that pacifism is the only ideal which mankind should embrace.…

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    It’s so hard to say where I stand with the death penalty. There are those moments when a person commits a crime so heinous you’re in that state of mind of wanting the death penalty for them. But then you realize this is a human being. I truly do not believe in the death penalty. To me, I think executing someone for a various form of wrongdoing would not punish them. Instead I think that’s just taking them out of their misery. The punishment for doing something wrong that is, for that the person committing such an act, should not be killed but put through suffering by living in jail for the rest of their life. It’s tough, and honestly people have their opinions and it’s in their right to go with or without the death penalty. Capital punishment is one of life 's topics that leave many divided opinions due to its risqué nature. It has been a subject full of controversy for centuries and still continues to be discussed to this day. Throughout my piece I will explain the case that is pro Capital Punishment, as well as the contrasting side - the opposition.…

    • 1030 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Which it leads to this question that many people ask,'' Is it necessary to kill that person?'' People that are against the death penalty argue that it's wrong to take away the right to live from any human being, but is that person consider a human after committing such horrible crime that the only punishment is death? There are many articles and essay that talk about this subject, but H.L. Mencken's essay, '' The Penalty of Death, '' caught my eye and made me agree with him because the death penalty gives a sense of revenge to the families of the victims and it gives back a sense of peace to the community.…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    is it ever right to kill?

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages

    There is a lot of argument about whether it is ever right to kill anyone. What is killing? Well the dictionary definition is: to cause death/the act of causing death. But is that enough? Is there another type of killing? A type that is justifiable. For example if a person steals or puts you in mortal danger is it acceptable to take their life in return? But more importantly is it morally right?…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As one of those born in a human society and whose common sense was established by human education, I strongly believe that nobody has a right to kill other men. But if it is a universal truth, I would like to say that it is also the case with other animals because we are all given a life equally. However, it was after I got accustomed to the pleasure of eating meat and fish that I learned the animals’ lives are also precious.…

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Capital Punishment is viewed as a political viewpoint that has pro’s and con’s by the American people. Capital punishment is known as the “The Death Penalty” and is identified as the premeditated and planned taking of a human life. The government views this as a response to a crime committed by a legally convicted person. The question is The Death Penalty just and applied fairly? The argument against Capital punishment can include the following; Amnesty International, who believes that “The Death Penalty” is the cruelest denial of human, rights (White, 2009). The pro’s state that, “Capital punishment gives society the right and duty to protect the innocent in self-defense.” The Death Penalty gives closure to the victim’s families who have suffered so much. Some families may never recover from the cruelty of the crime, and most families just want closure. Most Americans and people from different countries such as; china, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan agree with capital punishment. White stated, “I believe that it sends the wrong message: Killing people who kill people to show killing is wrong (White, 2009). Therefore, is it just and applied fairly is the question that is asked, should we kill because some kill? I believe that we are sending a message to promote killing, is it fair for some and not for others.…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    If we think of the people who would agree with this kind of statement, it would obviously be strong religious people. Christians follow the Sanctity of life and this states life is god given meaning only god should be able to control who lives and who dies. It states how killing is murder and that life is a sacred gift from god and therefore only he has the right to take it back.…

    • 1883 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1. Is it wrong to kill someone in self-defense? I think that ultimately it’s wrong to kill anyone no matter the situation. Do I understand killing someone in self- defense? Yes I do, if you are at your home and someone breaks and enters into your home and your safety and family’s safety is jeopardized I feel that a person should protect themselves at all costs no matter what. It’s not against the law for an individual to bear arms, unless they are a felon. But I believe that no person should not react if there life is at risk.…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Crime is a part of everyday life and everyone is aware of the threat it possesses, but the question lies in the methods in which it should be dealt with. A major issue in today’s society is whether or not the death penalty is a proper form of punishment. Many people have different opinions on the issue because of its many pros and cons. The arguments against the death penalty show that executions are more expensive than life in prison, the innocent may be wrongly accused, and it is not a deterrent to crime.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays