Everyday philosophy: An eye for an eye can never be justice
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Immanuel Kant thought murderers should be put to death regardless of whether that had a deterrent effect. If a society collapsed and there was no state to impose the penalty, the last killers on death row should still be executed, by civilians if necessary. The harm of death is so great, he believed, that it could only be balanced this way.
His was a version of lex talionis, the ancient principle of an eye for an eye. Kant realised that exactly mirroring the method of murder was not appropriate
His was a version of lex talionis, the ancient principle of an eye for an eye. Kant realised that exactly mirroring the method of murder was not appropriate
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