Re: Is the death penalty Extropian?

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At 07:15 AM 11/24/98 -0800, ChuckKuecker <ckuecker@mcs.net> wrote:

>Second,I feel that the death penalty is the appropriate punishment
>for the unlawful and malicious killing of a fellow human being.

Let's discuss whether "punishment" is appropriate to begin with. Quick, what's the difference between punishment and revenge? I see no real distinction; punishment is simply more "official" sounding (and often cloaked in "legality" - see my earlier posting) and is imposed by supposed "authorities".

What civil order requires is protection, and restitution where possible, not revenge.

It gets a little trickier, of course, where restitution is not (yet) possible, as in the case of murder. Some compensation can still be provided to the bereaved. Social ostracism and other non-aggressive measures can help insure that a murderously-inclined individual has little opportunity to repeat the offense. In incorrigible cases, exile is a possibility, not as punishment but as a defensive action.

The guiding principle IMO should be to meet force with the least force necessary. There are all sorts of ways we can avoid becoming the sort of people we oppose. Surely we Extropians ought to be in the vanguard of the progress toward true civilization.

Peace,
Dickola

• [ Next ][ Previous ] In reply to: Brian D Williams