RE: The death penalty makes no sense.
August 15, 2018 at 1:44 pm
(This post was last modified: August 15, 2018 at 1:50 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
The idea is that if we lived in an entirely different world some people may have no moral objections to the death penalty. In response..I maintain that if we lived in an entirely different world then my wifes left nipple would dispense guinness..and the right would pour neverending shots of jack.
I think it's more likely that a person could come up with plenty of moral objections even if we did live in that other world where we got things right and the guy was a monster..if they sat down and thought out every ramification. Ultimately, whether or not we object to the death penalty on moral grounds...and whether or not it is just (these are distinct issues) has less to do with what that person did than what we are willing to do, what we are willing to become, how we will arrange our society. Yes, he killed someone..but thats a seperate act from what we are about to do..which is to kill someone.
Focusing on that person (and even moreso inventing alternate realities) allows us to defer that consideration and reaffirm our emotional response. Instead of considering what we are about to do..we consider who we are about to do it to.
I think it's more likely that a person could come up with plenty of moral objections even if we did live in that other world where we got things right and the guy was a monster..if they sat down and thought out every ramification. Ultimately, whether or not we object to the death penalty on moral grounds...and whether or not it is just (these are distinct issues) has less to do with what that person did than what we are willing to do, what we are willing to become, how we will arrange our society. Yes, he killed someone..but thats a seperate act from what we are about to do..which is to kill someone.
Focusing on that person (and even moreso inventing alternate realities) allows us to defer that consideration and reaffirm our emotional response. Instead of considering what we are about to do..we consider who we are about to do it to.
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