What are your thoughts about capital punishment.

[Minazen]

*snip*

I could care less for the reasons I've stated in my previous post.

My question to you is, what are 'you' doing to fight the problem? Just sit around your computer thinking you're such a better person than me for thinking differently about it?

Let’s get real... Humanity will kill itself (or get destroyed by some movie-like cliché) before we learn to care for each other as a species.

[697134002]

I can't really do much about it at all. I'm a 14 year old in a country that doesn't have a death penalty.

[Minazen]

I can't really do much about it at all. I'm a 14 year old in a country that doesn't have a death penalty.

Count your blessings.

[697134002]

But still, you don't care at all that people have been and are currently being falsely accused of crimes they did not do and murdered?

Edit: In order to prevent spam, I'll just respond in this post.

What if it was you? Do you not care at all for the pains of others?

Edit 2:
So you wouldn't care if a person you don't know was murdered across the street from you?

[Minazen]

But still, you don't care at all that people have been and are currently being falsely accused of crimes they did not do and murdered?

Edit: In order to prevent spam, I'll just respond in this post.

What if it was you? Do you not care at all for the pains of others?

If it was me ? Well I haven't experienced it to know what I would do so I have no answer to this. As for the pain of others that are not myself of very close family-like figures, I don't care really. Are you hoping to make me feel bad ? It's a pointless attempt; Please try another argument.

[random980]

Humans are creatures who naturally base decisions on emotion rather then logic. If you wanted to see a human who naturally bases decisions on logic, go look at the vulcans from Start Trek.
Saying this it is (meant to be) natural for humans to care for others, it is also why some humans can form incredible bonds with other animals. As a race humans wanting to kill other humans isnt natural, its mainly just a thought formed over built up rage at ignorant people who you and others have now possibly generalized towards all strangers possibly due to not growing up in a friendly environment. We are meant to care for other people its just that modern society is changing that.

[makkaal]

[...]This discussion is nothing but individuals trying to seem like they ‘care’ about discussing against the immorality of capital punishment [...]

While I agree with the rest of the statement (even though I'm not as cynical as you anymore), this made me cringe.
This is an ethical discussion, and ethics is a school of philosophy. This particular field is not entirely made up of pragmatic approaches/solutions and the scientific method of philosphy is highly abstract to rid it of mere emotions such as "caring". Stripping your propositions and premises of emotions is crucial to finding objective ethical rules and the answer on how to rationally conclude (im)morality.
It is a matter of seeing a phenomenon and questioning the logic behind it. The origin of interest ("caring" or not) is entirely insignificant, as the arguments here are (to the most part) based on rational theses.
This makes your proposition ("individuals trying to seem like they 'care'") invalid.

[...]As a race humans wanting to kill other humans isnt natural, its mainly just a thought formed over built up rage at ignorant people who you and others have now possibly generalized towards all strangers possibly due to not growing up in a friendly environment. We are meant to care for other people its just that modern society is changing that.

History proves otherwise. Even in times when people lived together in clans or ethnic groups, killing other humans was part of daily life. Wars have always been waged, between tribes, between holders of power and even individuals.
What I do agree with is that we have the natural tendency to take care of others.
However, it is just as natural as xenophobia (referring to individuals from outside your social environment). This tendency of caring, as anthropologists have proven, only applies to individuals within your own social group such as family and friends: Your clan.
Neither is this a phenomenon among people growing up in an "unfriendly environment", nor is it a phenomenon that arose with modern society.

(edit: Dangit, every time I skim through this I find more typos, mistranslations and clumsy phrasings. Getting tired of that. GAH.)

[EricSmarties]

Humans are extremely hypocritical creatures that feed off violence and tragedy. This discussion is nothing but individuals trying to seem like they ‘care’ about discussing against the immorality of capital punishment but we all know that deep inside we don’t, in fact, it’s quite the opposite, we humans like seeing each other die off. (So long as it’s not us, am I right?)

im a hippy im kinda against violence so yeah....Flower Power!

[EricSmarties]

before we learn to care for each other as a species.

I care about my friends family and even strangers i mean there are arrogant people who are selfish. Are you one? Am i one?
Who knows what really lies in our hearts, are we all animals? Of course we evolved from animals. But we have feelings for each other.
Ever seen a Lion take down a gazelle? Does the lion feel like it shouldn't have done that? What will you do to survive?

We are all individuals trying to bring peace to the world? Do you want peace? How will you get it if people high up in goverments decide about us?

Minazen this isnt really only directed to you but are you really telling us that you don't care about humanity?

[SneakyPie]

Humans are extremely hypocritical creatures that feed off violence and tragedy. This discussion is nothing but individuals trying to seem like they ‘care’ about discussing against the immorality of capital punishment but we all know that deep inside we don’t, in fact, it’s quite the opposite, we humans like seeing each other die off. (So long as it’s not us, am I right?)

Thanks for calling me a liar.

[makkaal]

Thanks for calling me a liar.

Mind elaborating on that a bit? I mean, I took offence in Minazen's statement, too, but isn't that a bit harsh?

[SneakyPie]

Thanks for calling me a liar.

Mind elaborating on that a bit? I mean, I took offence in Minazen's statement, too, but isn't that a bit harsh?

Really not much to it other than calling my entire stance on how I view human life to be fake and a lie.

If you take pleasure out of another human being losing their life then you are a sick person.

[makkaal]

Really not much to it other than calling my entire stance on how I view human life to be fake and a lie.

If you take pleasure out of another human being losing their life then you are a sick person.

That's understandable, since Minazen's statement is very one-sided.
However, she does have a point, even if a cynical one. Looking at history, the majority seems to be filled with war and murder, which goes on even to this day. Seeing how what eventually comes down to murder used to be a public spectacle even underlines this impression. Think of the Roman Collosseum, medieval torture and executions - while we still have the latter in many places. Even more, psychologists cannot deny a tendency towards voyeurism regarding the suffering and death of others today. You could even go as far as describing all those fail videos where people hurt themselves out of sheer stupidity, or the shockers of people getting hit by lightning and surviving, as belonging to the same category.

However, I understand your stance. While all of this is happening, one tends to forget that the vast majority of people still regards the death of another human being as a major tragedy. Empathy is still in our biological roots, and even if we have war and murder, most of us never have and never will participate.

What I'm trying to say, Sneaky, is: Don't let yourself be haunted by someone else's embitterment.

[Lord_Mountbatten]

If you take pleasure out of another human being losing their life then you are a sick person.

I have been coming down with something lately...

[Minazen]

If you take pleasure out of another human being losing their life then you are a sick person.

I have been coming down with something lately...

I do apologize; I believe you've contracted that illness from me. Your system will immunize itself against it and eventually feed off it like a symbiotic relationship.

[vallorn]

pah suffering is a poor meal. i thrive on random facts and knowledge. hence why you may often find me absently browsing wikipedia or TV Tropes when im hungry

by the way did you know that "Sniper" was originally a term used to describe a person who could shoot a "Snipe", a small Indian game bird that was notoriously difficult to hit.

[arogon343]

To be quite honest as mean as it sounds i thin k if someone goes aginst the law in such cases as murder or major arson they should be removed from society for good. Either by life sentence but that would take up space and cost too much so remove them completely. But obviously there will be some mistakes and some innocent people may get judged wrongly but a;; systems have thier faults, best you can do is try to make them occur as little as possible.

[Fiskarfred]

Main Question Respond
I don't know if there are any capital punishments in your separate countries, I live in Sweden and
we don't have any here. I personally think that stealing/behavior crimes should result in jail, and
murders have jail as well, but in these jails, they would work, like Sneakypie said. Work for buildings
for homeless people etc. Or, just make the jails into ghetto's, and throw them in there and not release
them until a period of time. and let the jail be a giant sandbox with houses etc. and trustworthy prisoners
who are lower staff of jail guard, still jailed though. So that we can learn them what a community is like,
I mean, they will have to obey the rules in these ghettos, or it will be solitary. I believe in my second idea
the most, since it will force the 'prisoners' into living like citizens.

[Jarred]

Personally, I believe that capital punishment is one of the utmost and supreme punishments within a country, and they are also the most effective. Public hangings would encourage less crime and more citizens to not commit any sort of crimes which involve capital punishment.

With the recent trial in the United States with Casey Anthony, I feel that a hanging is actually much less dramatic and less painful than an electrocution. The electric chair is simply not one of our best ideas, thus it only being allowed in a select amount of states.

[Sir_Luke]

That's what I said
Don't worry, Casey Anthony might get away from the government, and I think she should enjoy her life here.
Because I'm sure she has her own very special spot in hell for her to burn real good in.

[D4nny]

I believe it should be brought back, yes. Some people are true monsters and prison isn't enough to rehabilitate there mental stability.
However before the death penalty would be brought back, police and law would need to be brushed up to beyond good - an innocent losing his life for a wrongly committed crime wouldn't exactly be fair, yeah?

[EricSmarties]

Whoa its been so long since ive been on this thread...

How would you judge if someone deserves to die just because he messed up in life?

[D4nny]

Whoa its been so long since ive been on this thread...

How would you judge if someone deserves to die just because he messed up in life?

Yes. This exactly, on the opposing side of the penalty, who's place is it to judge whether to allow someone to live or to die? Unless we're looking at mass murderers and remorseless people who've done terrible things, prison should still be a primary punishment.

[EricSmarties]

There may be misuse of it though. Can we really say that its the best option?

[D4nny]

There may be misuse of it though. Can we really say that its the best option?

For some people yes. People like John Venerables ect; mentally sick people who are a threat to the public. Like I said, a last resort and even then only after the justice system is made totally clean.

[697134002]

There may be misuse of it though. Can we really say that its the best option?

For some people yes. People like John Venerables ect; mentally sick people who are a threat to the public. Like I said, a last resort and even then only after the justice system is made totally clean.

Define "mentally sick."

[Lord_Mountbatten]

Neurosyphilis.

[Jakeman214]

Yes Please, Define "Metally Sick".

Through your virtue, I am mentally sick due to being diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome at a young age. I have adapted and fought long and hard to make myself an upstanding member of society, I work hard, pay my taxes, vote, and have even been called upon to be a part of a Jury of Peers and dispense judgement. Would you have had me executed through a standing set precedent of different people before me, diagnosed with the same mental issue?

The Legal system must be overhauled in many countries, and I believe that Capital Punisment can only be delivered by a Jury of Peers, voting Unanimously in each individual case. The power to end another's life, no matter the seriousness of the crime must NEVER fall to a single person. That being said, there are so many people who have commited the worst crimes and have been condemned by society to rot in prison their entire lives, thinking about what they have done to earn their place in prison. Every year those on Life Imprisonment (The current Maximum sentance in my country) take a substantial amount of Taxpayers money to be kept inside the prison system, money which could be better spent on Public Welfare, Infrastructure, THE HEALTH SYSTEM, etc.

If they prove themselves unworthy of living like human beings, like those who obey the laws, then they have no place in this world. Their death is more beneficial to society than life imprisonment, setting an example.

And this is where we (Civilisation) start heading off the slippery slope as we invent new laws to target those we do not like. I do believe that Hitler made being a Jew a Capital Offence against the State of Nazi Germany, in order to commit 'justified' genocide against them.

Think about all that, those of us who wish to make humanity better.

[D4nny]

Yes Please, Define "Metally Sick"..

By mentally sick I don't mean diseases like aspergers - If anything to be honest I respect them more because of how they just put it aside and live life.
By mentally sick I mean this story:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/i-wa ... s_in=3786
That's what I define mentally sick, taking pleasure in the sadistic actions she does. Perhaps a better wording would be Evil, and yet that would cause so many problems where people are brought to define evil. No, people who gain pleasure from the destruction of other's require to be executed unless a viable source can explain it or a fix may be possible in the future.
And if a person is sentenced to death down to a mental illness, it should be judged on the individual case and not the entire illness.
The world's crime rates are rising highly because of the badly treated way of the law system: They're set up in a prison where the law abiding citizens are paying for them. Harsher punishments, through one way or another, need to be set up into effect.

[SMWasder]

Completely no; I believe that taking another human life is wrong, regardless of the reason. As Ghandi said, 'an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind'. It's one of the few areas that I won't sacrifice my morals, despite it being less practical. Regardless of who you're killing, it doesn't lessen the evil of killing another human.