Capital Punishment: Ethical Considertation

Introduction

In recent times, the issue of capital punishment has occupied a prominent place in the discussion of public opinion in the country. However, the 'volume' ever increasing of opinions, rather than go to enrich the debate, has been impoverished, and what is more delicate, a topic that engages the entire society has been 'contaminated' seriously not only partial insight and analysis, but often simply ideological. In this sense, the notion of public interest (which is the ideological discourse itself), has become more important than the notion of truth and goodness.

It is true that this is a subject of complex reflection and in many ways controversial, where generally the excess of passion tends to cloud the understanding denying access and delve into the essence of this issue. Indeed, the very act of raising the issue of the death penalty in the following terms, Are you in favor or against the death penalty? Is undoubtedly a demagogic bias, that 'mortgages' the full meaning and sense of reflection.

When we point out that this is a complex and difficult, this does not mean in any case, we find ourselves before a subject on which no adequate explanation can be proposed and certainties that lie beyond opinion. We just want to indicate that the proposed explanations do not appear clearly, but from a perspective point of view or formal, from which and within which all lights to human reason.

Moreover, and this must warn you beforehand, reflecting on the death penalty, has always, I want one or not, look 'risky', as many times you can fall into the sad disappointment of not so convincing one, who was intended to clarify previously. Let us not forget, we enter the territory of philosophy, which requires human thought to reach a level of abstraction to which contemporary culture, characterized by a “scientism, skepticism and relativism” today is not accustomed.

At the same time, and this is more delicate, not only entered the territory of philosophy, but in the field of moral praxis or, where what matters is not only contemplation of truth, but the realization of it with regarding the aims of the individual. As highlighted by the Christian philosopher Jacques Maritain, in his major work of political philosophy, The Man and the State: "The moralists are people unhappy. When they insist on the immutability of moral principles, they are reproached the requirements imposed on men unlivable. And they explain how they have come into force those immutable principles taking into account the diversity of situations, they relativism the moral reproaches. However, in both cases only serve to maintain the claims of reason to lead the life '(Lou, 100-125) . And she adds, 'in times of darkness and commotion, the worst temptation for mankind is to resign a moral reason. Reason must never abdicate. Ethics makes a humble task, but magnanimous, carrying the mutable immutable moral principles applying to the bulk of the throes of a miserable world, while it retains a glimmer of humanity "  (K E and Sayre, 85-159).  It should therefore, come into this with a great intellectual humility, one that arises only from fidelity to objective truth in all its richness and splendor.

Now, the question is, if the death penalty is almost ...