Capital_Punishment

Capital Punishment Thesis One: In principle a case can be made on moral grounds both supporting and opposing capital punishment. Thesis two: Concretely and in practice, compelling arguments against capital punishment can be made on the basis of its actual administration in our society. Two different cases can be made. One is based on justice and the nature of a moral community. This leads to a defense of capital punishment. The second is based on love and the nature of an ideal spiritual community. This leads to a rejection of capital punishment. JUSTICE AND THE NATURE OF MORAL COMMUNITY A central principle of a just society is that every person has an equal right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Within that framework, an argument for capital punishment can be formulated along the following lines: some acts are so vile and so destructive of community that they invalidate the right of the perpetrator to membership and even to life. A community founded on moral principles has certain requirements. The right to belong to a community is not unconditional. The privilege of living and pursuing the good life in society is not absolute. It may be negated by behavior that undermines capital, punishment, love, community, life, moral, society, ethical, even, social, right, ecstatic, own, ideal, others, nature, made, justice, against, one, been, whether, violence, norm, just, good, equal, ecstasy, each, citizens, unconditional, superethical, spiritual, societies, secular, must, make, dimension, death, claim, church, christians, christian, becomes, basis, based, work, should, sacrifice, principle, out