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Baraka_Guru · 12-01-2007, 01:27 PM

There is a difference between: 1) we have the desire and capacity to commit murder as a part of our nature, and 2) we have the capacity to commit murder, and, under certain conditions, we do commit such an act.

A man who goes through his entire life without wanting to murder (or actually murdering) another is not denying his nature. What has been accomplished is that he has left out in his life certain human experiences that he deemed unsavoury, non-essential, or a combination thereof.

EDIT: The death penalty doesn't work as a deterrent because of this: Few people avoid the act of murder out of fear of state-sanctioned executions. They avoid it simply because they don't want to get caught at all. They avoid it because of the danger involved, or, perhaps, because of the inconvenience of having to "lay low" for a while.

So why do people murder, then, if they know there are penalties or inconveniences? I doubt these factors play much a role when the decision is made. I'm sure murderers hope for the best in their actions. "I won't get caught; I'll leave no witnesses." But, realistically, I'm sure many acts of murder involve lapses in thought. Deterrents are useless when they don't factor in at all. Fear, anger, madness. That the idea of death row doesn't come into mind wouldn't surprise me.

12-01-2007, 01:27 PM	#155 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	There is a difference between: 1) we have the desire and capacity to commit murder as a part of our nature, and 2) we have the capacity to commit murder, and, under certain conditions, we do commit such an act. A man who goes through his entire life without wanting to murder (or actually murdering) another is not denying his nature. What has been accomplished is that he has left out in his life certain human experiences that he deemed unsavoury, non-essential, or a combination thereof. EDIT: The death penalty doesn't work as a deterrent because of this: Few people avoid the act of murder out of fear of state-sanctioned executions. They avoid it simply because they don't want to get caught at all. They avoid it because of the danger involved, or, perhaps, because of the inconvenience of having to "lay low" for a while. So why do people murder, then, if they know there are penalties or inconveniences? I doubt these factors play much a role when the decision is made. I'm sure murderers hope for the best in their actions. "I won't get caught; I'll leave no witnesses." But, realistically, I'm sure many acts of murder involve lapses in thought. Deterrents are useless when they don't factor in at all. Fear, anger, madness. That the idea of death row doesn't come into mind wouldn't surprise me. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 12-01-2007 at 01:34 PM..