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I think the whole purpose of punishment is to discourage others from committing the same crime - not to punish an individual for the sake of retribution. If yo
by thethimble 5y ago
I think the whole purpose of punishment is to discourage others from committing the same crime - not to punish an individual for the sake of retribution.
If you think about it, retribution is pretty petty. It doesn’t accomplish anything and a civilized society should do away with it.
The only reasonable basis for punishment then is the “educate millions” rationale above. To the extent that it is effective in establishing rails for a stable society, I think it’s morally acceptable to do so.
You accurately summarized the crux of the argument: it’s all about your views on the dignity of the individual.
- Serenacula 5y agoIf it actually worked, then maybe this would make sense, (though I believe the negative social effects of that approach FAR outweigh the dubious positive). But in a case like this, where it was precisely a LACK of thought that marked it as a crime, it honestly seems absurd to me. It's like prosecuting someone for tripping over their shoelaces in a supermarket.