Capital punishment is morally wrong

Capital punishment is morally wrong   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Among some of the most controversial issues of our lives today, no question pops up as frequently as the question of the ethics concerning the Death Penalty. Capital punishment according to the website legal-explanations.com is â€Å"the death sentence awarded for capital offences like crimes involving planned murder, multiple murders, repeated crimes, rape and murder etc where in the criminal provisions consider such persons as a gross danger to the existence of the society and provide death punishment.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With its origins in Latin ‘capitalis’ meaning ‘regarding the head’, a capital crime was originally punished by severing of the head. The first death penalty laws were established as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes. It was also a part of the 14th century B.C.’s Hittie Code; in the Seventh Century B.C.’s Draconian Code of Athens, which made death the only punishment for all crimes; and in the Fifth Century B.C.’s Roman law of the Twelve Tablets. Death Sentences were carried out by such means as crucifixion, drowning, beating to death, burning alive, and impalement. (Deathpenaltyinfo.org Part I: History of the Death Penalty)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many arguments both for and against the application of the death penalty. Many people in favor of the death penalty would argue that it serves as a strong deterrent to potential recipients of such a punishment and therefore helps maintain a safer society. While numerous such arguments exist on both sides, I will be discussing why the death penalty is morally, ethically and fundamentally wrong, and try to present counter-arguments to claims made by the advocates of the death penalty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One problem with the death penalty is that it is simply uncivilized. Most of Western Europe no longer retain s the death penalty. On top of that, when Turkey recently made an application for admission to the European Union, the Union’s committee made a recommendation against it, citing that â€Å"Turkey retains the barbaric practice of capital punishment.â€Å"American countries like Mexico and Canada have abandoned the death penalty. The parliament of Europe also passed a resolution ugring the United States to abandon the death penatly. A magazine, now in international circulation says, â€Å"Throughout Europe in particular, the death penalty is thought of as simply uncivilized.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"That its practice is said to be problematic for a leading nation. German Justice minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin has argued, â€Å"The Americans do not hesitate, proud as they are of their democratic tradition, to reproach other countries over human rights violations.â€Å"I think that great cost is desensitizing us to death and to using violence as an instrument for civiliz ed society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another one of the biggest ethical problems associated with the use of capital punishment is its irreversibility. Death penalty, unlike conventional punishments is absolutely final. When a person, innocent of his charges is awarded the death penalty and after he/she is executed, there is no going back if advances in medical/forensic technology provide solid evidence in favor of the condemned’s innocence. The court or the executioner cannot give back a life, so why should they be able to take it? The researchers Radelet and Bedau (1992) affirm that, â€Å"no less than twenty-three people have been

A Science Column Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Science Column - Essay Example A physical quantity is defined by the sequence of operations used to determine its value (Wiliamson). The grouping of several physical quantities to find out the values of each in relation to each other is what constitutes a physical law which is defined as. The laws of thermodynamics relate the heat with temperature changes in materials of different kinds. To be clearer on this, let us begin by defining the various laws of thermodynamics. To begin with the first laws which states that Heat is a form of energy, and energy is conserved (Wiliamson). Here the first law confirms that heat is a form of energy and that it can be conserved. This is seen when we use electricity in our homes, the electrical energy is usually stored in the form of water which is then used to drive turbines hence generating electricity which we often use in our homes. This can always be conserved to minimize wastages by either conserving the water stored in a dam or switching off the electricity when not in use . The second law of thermodynamics can be stated in three different ways as defined by three different scholars. For our study we are going to use the definition of Kelvin which states that No cyclic process exists which produces no other effect than the extraction of heat from a body and its conversion into an equivalent amount of work (Wiliamson). The second law of thermodynamics here brings out the reversibility of thermodynamic processes, that is heat is never lost to the surrounding environments given that all factors such as heat loss to the surroundings through evaporation and other heat transfer processes are under control. This is always carried out in the laboratory by using a calorimeter, a laboratory instrument which is used to measure the amount of heat generated through chemical reactions and other physical changes. The calorimeter is designed for this purpose as it is made in such a way that it can minimize heat loss to the surrounding environment as well as heat gain from the same thus ensuring that heat contained in the materials is the same that is used in the entire experiment. It was upon the realization of the limiting factors in the definition of the term temperature by the two thermodynamic laws that the Zeroth law was devised the help in bridging the gap that was omitted. The zeroth law suggests that If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, then they are in equilibrium with each other (Wiliamson). This law enables one to order systems according to the direction of heat flow when these two systems are put into contact with each other. For this reason, a system is said to be hotter if heat flows from it into the other system which in this case is considered a colder one than the other when these two systems are put into contact with each other. The reverse is however true in the other direction. The third law of thermodynamics on the other and explains that the entropy of a system approaches a constant value as the t emperature approaches absolute zero (Wiliamson). This law suggests that all motions in a material tend to come a standstill, cease within that particular material as the temperature of that material reduces to absolute zero. All materials however must reach a state whereby the temperatures reduce to absolute zero hence no thermodynamic motions occurring within them. The three laws of

Aassignment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aassignment - Assignment Example To make the community aware of the importance of cleaning to prevent mosquitoes, an overall community cleaning program may be organized with the local government. This program, titled as Clean My Own Space entails every household to go out on a designated day to clean up their space and have a community leader assess the cleanliness of their space. Successful households will receive a souvenir shirt (max of 2 for those with two representatives) to commend their efforts. The household with the best waste segregation and disposal practices will receive a special award from the mayor. This way, the inhabitants will be more aware of the importance of clean space to control the spread of mosquitoes. I was in a bookstore looking for â€Å"Dork Diaries† by Rachel Renee Russell, a book my niece wished for Christmas. The store assistant seemed to be very busy when I approached her. I tried to find the book myself but learned that it was on a shelf at a securely locked counter. I approached the woman for the second time to inquire editions of the book. She told me that there are two, one that comes in a set of 6 and another in 3. I preferred the second due to its price but before I bought it, I asked the assistant about the difference in the titles. The assistant seemed irritated and tried to dismiss me by saying that the books are just the same. I insisted that there must be a difference based on the obvious difference in the number of books. She just said that the 6-pack set is hard-bound while the other is soft-bound. I still insisted that she hand me over the books so I could see for myself. When she pretended not to notice me, I said, â€Å"Aren’t you the one in charge here? I hope you’d give me attention because you can’t expect anyone to do your job for you.† Upon hearing this, the woman turned to my direction and got me the