Ethics

Ethics Study Guide committing that crime. Most research however, does not support this premise. Some object that rehabilitation would be too costly, and may conflict with the demands of retribution. Many theorists worry that if we concentrate too much on punishment, this takes away from solving the social conditions, such as poverty, that give rise to crime. Perhaps drunk drivers brought to an accident scene might be more effectively rehabilitated. In the United States, we have a disproportionately large percentage of people in prison. Avoiding prison, which might be seen as a school for criminals, might be a better option. Death Penalty The Supreme Court decided that the death penalty would not be permitted for minors or crimes committed while a minor. In Kennedy v. Louisiana (2008), Louisiana law was overturned to permit capital punishment for rape of a child. Two questions emerge: 1. Is death too severe a penalty to impose for any crime? 2. Is capital punishment compatible with our values about human dignity and decency? In our society, murder is a crime for which the death penalty is often deemed appropriate. Not only has this person caused the death of another, but has undermined the fabric of a moral community. Both opponents and defenders of capital punishment appeal to the sanctity of life. Opponents say life is sacred and no one should take it. Defenders, on the other hand, say that the way to honor the sanctity of life is to execute criminals who have taken someone’s life. War and Peace War can be defined as an actual, intentional, and widespread armed conflict between political communities, motivated by significant disagreement over governance. War is a violent way to determine who gets to say what happens in a given territory, such as who gets wealth and resources, whose ideals prevail, how much tax is levied, etc. War is the last means for deciding these issues if an attempt at a peaceful process can’t be agreed upon. There are three main schools of thought on the ethics of war and peace: Just War Theory, Realism, and Pacifism. Just war theory is a synthesis of classical Greco-Roman, as well as Christian values. There are three parts to just war theory: 1. Jus ad bellum: For any war to be justified, a political community, or state, must fulfill all six of the following requirements: a. Just cause, e.g., self-defense from external attack, the protection of innocents from brutal, aggressive regimes, and punishment for sever wrongs that have not been corrected. b. Right intention, i.e., a state must intend to engage in war only for the sake of its just cause. The motivation behind resorting to war must be morally appropriate. ©2018 Achieve Page 79 of 116