A Social Philosopher Looks at the Death Penalty

Today the death penalty provides the philosopher not so much with the task of debating its retention but rather with an occasion for explaining its virtual abolition. Public opposition, the position of the federal government, the accumulation of sociological and penological evidence against the doctrine of deterrence and in favor of a tolerable alternative—all these have been factors. Nevertheless, there are some questions of special philosophical interest which the death penalty does raise. Among them is: How should our thinking about punishment and the justifiable use of violence be guided by the doctrines of the Sanctity of Life and the Right to Life?