NCJ Number
110494
Date Published
1987
Length
172 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the morality of capital punishment emphasizes the application of a variety of philosophical theories regarding right and wrong.
Abstract
Introductory sections argue that philosophical theories of right and wrong can produce a moral rhetoric that represents an improvement over the persuasion to be found in lobbyists' pamphlets or in ordinary conversation. The analysis also argues that philosophers can acknowledge that some arguments are better than others and can take sides in a debate. Further sections consider in detail the utilitarian arguments for and against the death penalty, court decision relating to cruel and unusual punishment, and a Kantian approach to the issue of the death penalty. The author concludes that the death penalty should be used, but only for a narrow class of murders. Chapter notes and index.