Philosophical Essays on Capital Punishment: Justice and Moral Disagreement

Capital punishment is often treated as a settled question: for some, it represents the ultimate form of justice; for others, an unacceptable violation of human dignity. Yet the philosophical debate is far more complex. Powerful arguments have been developed on both sides, and the persistence of disagreement cannot be explained simply by ignorance or prejudice. In these essays, Benoît Basse examines the major justifications of capital punishment in their strongest form. Drawing on classical and contemporary theories of punishment—retributivism, utilitarianism, and the expressive function of punishment—he analyses arguments developed by thinkers such as Beccaria, Kant, and John Stuart Mill, while also addressing more recent debates. Rather than claiming to provide a final refutation, this book explores the moral limits of institutions that claim the right to impose an irreversible punishment and asks what the death penalty reveals about the nature and limits of justice itself. It will be of interest to students, scholars, and general readers concerned with moral philosophy, political theory, and the philosophy of law.