Why
Society Should Accept the Death Penalty (Naturalist Theory)
Death Sentence according to law, shall
be executed with preference to any other penalty and shall consist in putting
the person under sentence to death by lethal injection. The death sentence
shall be executed under the authority of the Director of the Bureau of
Corrections, endeavoring so far as possible to mitigate the sufferings of the
persons under sentence during the lethal injection as well as during the proceedings
prior to execution. The body of the
person executed unless claimed by the family, upon the completion of the legal
proceedings subsequent to the execution, is turned over to the institute of
learning or scientific research first applying for it, for the purpose of study
and investigation, provided that such institute shall take charge of the decent
burial of the remains.
According to Thomas
Hobbes, natural law is a precept, or general rule, found out by reason, by
which a man is forbidden to do that which is destructive of his life, or takes
away the means of preserving the same; and to omit that by which he thinks it
may best be preserved.
The
existence of Death Penalty as provided by our law is a precept, which means
that it is a written order to an officer to give him the authority to perform
such act, which is basically based on reason or it has a cause or basis of such
action or idea, reasons that is believed to be rational because a law is not
passed out of whim but gives punishment to what we believe is wrong. Passing
the death penalty will then prevent people to commit crimes against others
because they will realize that there is a punishment which is when given will
be destructive to their life hindering them the freedom to live or enjoy life
because life itself has been taken away from them.
Hobbes also provided laws regarding
this theory:
• His first Law of nature is that every
man ought to endeavor peace, as far as he has hope of obtaining it; and when he
cannot obtain it, that he may seek and use all helps and advantages of war.
• The second Law of nature is that a
man be willing, when others are so too, as far forth, as for peace, and defence
of himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down this right to all things;
and be contented with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow
other men against himself.
• The third Law is that men perform
their covenants made. In this law of nature consisteth the fountain and
original of justice... when a covenant is made, then to break it is unjust and
the definition of injustice is no other than the not performance of covenant.
And whatsoever is not unjust is just.
• The fourth Law is that a man which
receiveth benefit from another of mere grace, endeavour that he which giveth
it, have no reasonable cause to repent him of his good will. Breach of this law
is called ingratitude.
• The fifth Law is complaisance: that
every man strive to accommodate himself to the rest. The observers of this law
may be called sociable; the contrary, stubborn, insociable, forward,
intractable.
• The sixth Law is that upon caution of
the future time, a man ought to pardon the offences past of them that
repenting, desire it.
• The
seventh Law is that in revenges, men look not at the greatness of the evil
past, but the greatness of the good to follow.
• The eighth Law is that no man by
deed, word, countenance, or gesture, declare hatred or contempt of another. The
breach of which law is commonly called contumely.
• The ninth Law is that every man
acknowledge another for his equal by nature. The breach of this precept is
pride.
• The tenth law is that at the entrance
into the conditions of peace, no man require to reserve to himself any right,
which he is not content should be reserved to every one of the rest. The breach
of this precept is arrogance, and observers of the precept are called modest.
• The
eleventh law is that if a man be trusted to judge between man and man, that he
deal equally between them.
• The twelfth law is that such things
as cannot be divided, be enjoyed in common, if it can be; and if the quantity
of the thing permit, without stint; otherwise proportionably to the number of
them that have right.
Clearly,
some laws he made are based on man’s way itself. In connection with the Death
Penalty itself, Hobbes stated that if a man be trusted to judge between man and
man, that he deal equally between them because the intent of the Legislative
itself is plain and simple, to provide a control on the growing number of
heinous crimes in our country by scaring the people of the corresponding
punishment.
A law is passed with certain reason
and purpose, although it is extreme or even harsh in nature it still for the
common good.