Consider the extent to which knowledge issues in ethics are similar to those in at least one other area of knowledge
“ We are discussing no small matter but how we ought to live” (Socrates, Plato’s Republic 390 BCE)
Throughout history it has been seen that the ethics or the morality of a person has influenced their actions. An example of this is Al Qaeda; they believe that Americans are disrespectful and thus they antagonize them; therefore they destroyed the Twin Towers. Human science is the study of humans and their actions, it has existed since the dawn of time and is the reason we know so much about great people and their actions in the past. Ethics play a role in almost every aspect of our life and can be related to virtually every other area of knowledge. The cases of Capital punishment and abortion are two of the highly debated topics in present society and they bring forward serious moral questions: In today’s society is capital punishment a viable solution? And how do we know if a person’s choice in life if ethical? This essay will explore the link between ethics and human sciences. Knowledge issues in ethics are similar to those in human science.
In today’s society crime is a common occurrence and the forms of punishment are fairly consistent throughout most countries. But when the case of capital punishment comes up, ideas start to collide and this is where disagreements begin. Capital punishment is the execution of an offender for committing a serious offence, often the punishment is decided by a jury of their peers. But in modern times countries are growing in debt and capital punishment push’s them further into a financial abyss. The methods of capital punishment in the United States involve either lethal injection or the electric chair. Both methods get the job done but do cost a hefty amount. As an economist I would say that the amount that it takes to execute someone is not worth facing financial backlash in the future. For example, the June 11 2001 execution of Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, cost the state $13 million. Today, the average state charges $23 million a year for executions. 52 executions were carried out in the USA last year costing them approximately $1 196 Billion, almost 2/9 of the historic bailout to Ford Motors, but note not all that money is spent in one year. There has to be a more viable option such as hanging. Hanging will cost the state very little and is still effective in getting the job done. As the current economy sits in a second “great depression” spending that much money on an execution is just not reasonable. Furthermore, when you think about it, through hanging a person, not only you can get more executions done throughout the year because of the low cost but you can also improve the financial situation of the country as a whole. My ethical implications and emotion lead me to care for the well being of society as a whole and thus my actions are geared towards a communities well being.
