Capital Punishment Essays (1872 words) - Penology,

Capital Punishment Capital Punishment has been an issue of arguments for centuries. This topic was even of more importance during the 1700's than the present, because the quantities of punished people were significantly larger than now. In that time it was easy for an individual to loose his life for a small crime. In this research paper we will examine the views of two different types of people on this subject. The first person is a reverend from 18th century London, and the other is an American doctor from the same period. In the arguments of both gentlemen we can find similarities that lead us to understand the sentiment toward the issue during the 17th century. Revered E. Gillepsy begins his sermon with the definition of the meaning of being virtuous. He states that some one with good virtue will wish for world happiness. That person is to apply that wish through actions. These actions will be rewarded in both the present life as in the future one. Another strong point that Rev. Gillepsy presents is that the laws of nations should be made according to religion. They should obey God instead of man. Even if the rules of man justify taking away lives, this does not mean that God agrees with such laws. He means that the feelings taught by religion should overrule feelings extracted from political affairs.Rev. Gillepsy also talks about the sentiment of the people. He claims that is mankind was influenced entirely by the spirit of Christianity, they would never seek the death of another human being. People should see themselves in the shoes of other people, "Do on to others as you would like done upon you." Man should never have to fall under a human executioner. Instead he should care for the criminal and give mercy. Rev. Gillepsy has many thoughts on the punishments that follow criminal apprehension. He says that the system does a poor job in the prevention of crimes. He also mentions that if the system is not changed, there is a risk of revenge from heaven. His worries on capital punishment are related with the little proportion between crime and punishment. He provides the reader with examples of some crimes that have been punished with death. One of those is the stealing of property. Amounts as low as 12-Pence have been seen as enough to kill a man. Other crimes include: breaking a fish pond, causing the fish to die; cutting a tree in a garden; associating with gypsies; witchcraft; sorcery, charm and enchantments. He cannot understand how society can possibly think that the life of fish or a tree can be seen as equal to the life of a human being. Rev. Gillepsy states that sanguinary laws are sign of disorder in a state. For example, the laws of the Romans Decemuiri were full of cruel punishments. Then there were the partion law which exempted all citizens from death sentence and they flourished. Under the emperors severe punishments were delivered and their empires fell. Gillepsy asks how capital punishment can be seen as an act of prudence, when the greatest act of prudence is preserving life. They are acting criminally by destroying life. Rev. Gillepsy also expresses a sentiment of possession. He says that God gave man the Earth for him to rule. He also gave him control over all things on Earth, but he did not give him control over each other. Therefore, God does not permit to ultimately control each other by taking away the lives of those facing punishment. Some alternatives to the death sentence are also given in the sermon. He says that a convicted felon should be forced to work until he repays what he owes. He sees this alternative as very effective because it restores property, employs the culprit and it answers to al ends of justice and society. However he suggests that the price of labour be less than the price of regular labourers and their diet be poorer. All these in order to deter people from committing crimes. Another alternative to capital punishment should be the exile of criminals. By sending the accused to another part of the world he is returning to duty of a community and

Art, Science, and a Balanced Life essays

Art, Science, and a Balanced Life essays One of the things that differentiate the human race from other forms of life is our ability to reason. The uniqueness of each individual, however, causes us to reason in different ways. An individual's reasoning can be categorized into two primary groups: reasoning based on emotion and instinct versus reasoning based on logic and concrete facts. These two categories are sometimes known as art and science, respectively. It is commonly believed that "Art upsets, while science reassures," however further philosophical analysis questions this, by examining "Science reassures, while art upsets" as an equally valid statement. Although both art and science are branches of knowledge that have the ability to simultaneously reassure and upset, they use different approaches in their formation. Art is the spontaneous documentation of emotions based on one's own perception of life. This is contrasted with science, which is a systemized process involving observation and experiments that results in the formation of a hypothesis leading to a theory. Science that is at the foundation is systematized, based on logic, and has a set structure. The laboratory science, however, can be messy and tentative, complicating the question of whether science upsets or reassures. A scientific fact can be fully explained, leaving nothing to chance or imagination. It is interesting to note that the famous quote, "Art upsets, science reassures", was made by the French sculptor, painter, and designer, Georges Braque. The difficulty one experiences with art is its inability to be explained due to its basis on feelings experienced by no two individuals. Art is upsetting because one cannot convey the exact picture or feelings that he has towards a piece of art. Ironically, in the words of Braque, "There is only one valuable thing in art: the thing you cannot explain." A feeling of discouragement is often felt when you cannot explain the beauty you see, instead, others m...

Vin Diesel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vin Diesel - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Vin Diesel is an incredibly well-known actor for his big-budget movie roles in movies like â€Å"xXx,† â€Å"The Fast and the Furious† and other such large-scale action movies.   Probably the greatest sign that Vin Diesel is not at all who you thought he was from his big budget films comes from the film â€Å"Multi-Facial† which he wrote, directed and starred in when he was unable to be cast in any movies in Hollywood.   This is a film about how it can be very hard for someone with a multi-ethnic background to be cast into movies, because they will either be called â€Å"too white† or â€Å"too black† for a lot of the parts, and though they could possibly pass for Hispanic they do not have the accent or the language skills to keep up with real Hispanics in a film role.   Vin Diesel did almost every part of this film himself for a budget of only $4000, and it was eventually accepted into the Cann es Film Festival in 1995.   Vin Diesel even wrote and performed all of the music for this piece, showing that he really has a wide array of talents.   At the Cannes Film Festival, Steven Spielberg saw this film and was truly impressed, and eventually decided to write a part for Diesel in the incredibly well received Saving Private Ryan.   Added to this is Vin Diesel’s amazing amount of popular appeal.   He has been a star in a lot of highly successful Hollywood movies, most notably â€Å"xXx† and â€Å"The Fast and the Furious.†Ã‚