RE: Atheism & the Death Penalty.
January 20, 2016 at 9:07 pm
(This post was last modified: January 20, 2016 at 9:10 pm by Jehanne.)
(January 20, 2016 at 8:44 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: Could I administer the sentence myself? I don't know. I know that if I am saying capital punishment should implemented, then I SHOULD be able to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. I suppose I wouldn't know for sure unless I was actually in the position to do so.
I just listened to a US Intelligence Squared debate on "Death is Not Final":
http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates...-not-final
Professors Carroll and Novella certainly did a good job, with a 15-point increase from pre to post-debate voting. They certainly come-across as being convinced of physicalism, that is, the brain is entirely responsible for the mind. When applied to that murderer, were his actions that of a rationale human being with a healthy human brain, and hence, a healthy human mind? Or, was he the product of a whole host of circumstances, some of which were beyond his control, which turned him into a monster?
But, let's say that he deserved punishment, including, a horrific execution, one that involved heinous suffering? Now that he is dead, is he now being punished? Of course, he feels nothing, because he has ceased to exist. On the other hand, if he was still in prison, he would still be in a state of being punished. In this respect, is death even punishment? Or, is society now punishing this man's family?