Difference Between Utilitarianism And Capital Punishment

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Recommended: Is capital punishment good or bad

Dominick Sperando
Utilitarianism and Capital Punishment:
In Utilitarian theory there is a constant debate within the population to determine whether something is considered ethical, the issue of capital punishment is no different. In regards to this theory, moral judgment is not clear-cut, but rather is circumstantial in nature. Though this is true, generally utilitarian views would side in moral favor with capital punishment. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that states that the morally right decision is the one that creates the most good for the greatest number of people. Therefore, according to this theory a decision should be made in order to create the greatest utility, regardless of the action itself. The umbrella name for this form
Stretching back thousands of year’s humans have made death the ultimate punishment for a crime, whether it was stoning or crucifixion. The execution of criminals and political opponents has been used by nearly all societies—both to punish crime and to suppress political dissent. Until recently the death penalty has been known to be gruesome and painful, but in recent years there has been a push towards less harmful forms. The initiation of lethal injection in 1982 has caused an interesting shift in the humanity of such an act, considering the lack of pain induced. When conducting lethal injection the first drug, sodium thiopental, causes the prisoner to become unconscious, the next, pancuronium bromide, paralyses the respiratory system of the prisoner, and the last, potassium chloride, causes the prisoner to go into cardiac arrest inevitably ceasing life. Even with such advances in ‘humane’ practices of execution there is a strong opposition worldwide for such conduct. According to Amnesty International, approximately two-thirds, or 141, countries have completely abolished the use of these

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