Saturday, October 16, 2010

Is State Execution Analogous to Human Sacrifice?

Thomas Cahill, the author of the Hinges of History series of books likens state execution to human sacrifice. Perhaps the analogy works for me since I am ashamed that my country is the only one among developed nations that still practices execution, and like Cahill I am Irish-American dealing with the problem that the ancient Celts practiced human sacrifice.

Like the practice of human sacrifice, the practice of state execution is thought justified by the superstitious belief that it somehow makes the world a better place for those left living. One aspect of that superstition is that executing the very occasional person deters others from committing murders and other capital crimes, but those of us who believe in statistics understand that there is no evidence that such is true. Another aspect of the superstition is the belief that it is cheaper to execute people than to keep them in prison, but again we know that that is not true,

One might also think about the choice of people to be executed and compare it with choice of people to be sacrificed. In both cases there is a ritual. Note that our legal system does not generally consider innocence to be a reason to overturn the guilty verdict of a legal process that condemns someone to execution. Sociologists might suggest that those chosen for execution have things in common. Not only are they in the power of the state, unable to procure good legal representation, but also they come from the fringes of society almost always.

Kwame Anthony Appiah says that societies change their ethical views when they become ashamed of a position once considered ethically acceptable. Perhaps we should make an effort to shame those who foolishly think state execution is an acceptable practice, comparing them with those primitives who practice human sacrifice in the hope it will please the gods. Certainly there is no honor in the practice of state execution.

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