I think Dalrymple is waaay over thinking this. Justice is not about protecting "society" or preventing future crimes, rehabilitation, etc. though these secondary effects are important. The essence of justice is recognition of the consequences of what you have earned in both positive and negative forms, i.e., getting what you deserve.
As a far as the death penalty is concerned, I agree that some crimes are so heinous that the criminal deserves death. So I think the death penalty is moral but cannot be safely enacted in today's culture. My reason is that if the government has this power then it has to be exercised with the utmost caution and I don't think we live in a world were we can guarantee that some innnocent man won't be killed. The main problem is the DA's are notorious for drumming up charges and cops lying, etc. to make a case. The second problem is that the average citizen-jurist is easily manipulated emotionally, motivated by revenge and not by facts and reason. In other words, I don't think our society is honest enough, so until things improve culturally the death penalty is off the table in my book.
More importantly, today we live in a morally inverted society where evil is praised/rewarded and the good are condemned and punished. "Justice", as an abstract concept, isn't just about punishing criminals (a common view today) but also about praising, rewarding and recognizing the good which is severely lacking today. Today people and institutions praise, reward and give money and medals to literal criminals. This situation cannot last long and is the essence of demoralization which is how you know that your society is doomed.
...but good lawyers and writers are paid extra to overthink...
True but only up to a point and mostly for experts on an issue, not a general audience. He got side tracked on non-essentials and, to be honest, modern excuses for evil. My point is that supporting the good is more important than punishing evil.
Capital punishment is required for civilized society to function. It is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.
Predators cannot be loose in society. Caging them until they die of old age is dangerous, expensive, and cruel.
It's like having a car with no tires on the rims and then complaining that 'it won't accelerate properly', 'the turning radius is too big', 'brakes don't work right', 'suspension feels rough', etc.
You don't need more horsepower, or bigger struts, or more brake fluid. You need some fucking tires!
I think Dalrymple is waaay over thinking this. Justice is not about protecting "society" or preventing future crimes, rehabilitation, etc. though these secondary effects are important. The essence of justice is recognition of the consequences of what you have earned in both positive and negative forms, i.e., getting what you deserve.
As a far as the death penalty is concerned, I agree that some crimes are so heinous that the criminal deserves death. So I think the death penalty is moral but cannot be safely enacted in today's culture. My reason is that if the government has this power then it has to be exercised with the utmost caution and I don't think we live in a world were we can guarantee that some innnocent man won't be killed. The main problem is the DA's are notorious for drumming up charges and cops lying, etc. to make a case. The second problem is that the average citizen-jurist is easily manipulated emotionally, motivated by revenge and not by facts and reason. In other words, I don't think our society is honest enough, so until things improve culturally the death penalty is off the table in my book.
More importantly, today we live in a morally inverted society where evil is praised/rewarded and the good are condemned and punished. "Justice", as an abstract concept, isn't just about punishing criminals (a common view today) but also about praising, rewarding and recognizing the good which is severely lacking today. Today people and institutions praise, reward and give money and medals to literal criminals. This situation cannot last long and is the essence of demoralization which is how you know that your society is doomed.
"I think Dalrymple is waaay over thinking this."
...you are correct...
...but good lawyers and writers are paid extra to overthink...
True but only up to a point and mostly for experts on an issue, not a general audience. He got side tracked on non-essentials and, to be honest, modern excuses for evil. My point is that supporting the good is more important than punishing evil.
Capital punishment is required for civilized society to function. It is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.
Predators cannot be loose in society. Caging them until they die of old age is dangerous, expensive, and cruel.
It's like having a car with no tires on the rims and then complaining that 'it won't accelerate properly', 'the turning radius is too big', 'brakes don't work right', 'suspension feels rough', etc.
You don't need more horsepower, or bigger struts, or more brake fluid. You need some fucking tires!