(January 20, 2016 at 8:09 am)robvalue Wrote: I used to be in favour of it, but I'm now I'm somewhat more on the fence. Those are all valid arguments you make, except the free will one. If we assume there is no free will, then those handing out penalties have no free will either, to "change" the punishment.
A "collective" free will is, IMO, different than an individual's free will, but everyone agrees that there are individuals (such as severely schizophrenic persons) who lack free will. For the heinous crimes that merit the death penalty, I wonder if the individual who committed those crimes truly has free will, because it is unnatural to want to kill and/or torture someone. This is why militaries across the globe engage in desensitization programs for new recruits, because killing a fellow human being is an unnatural act.