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KOSICEUCIAN PHILOSOPHY
QUESTION No. 184.
Do you believe in capital punishment? Is it not better
and more merciful than imprisonment for life?
Answer: Among the savages might is
right, the
stronger always overpowers the weaker. We pride ourselves
that in our civilization we have come to a higher stage, and
that we practice altruism in all departments of our polity.
Nevertheless, although we do not go out with a club and
promiscuously murder our fancied adversaries, except in
war, we do murder in a refined way by what we call law.
There was a time when the thief was hanged by law. Now-
adays we designate such punishment barbaric, but capital
punishment is still a blot upon our civilization. Besides,
we are much more refined in our cruelty than the people
in older civilizations, for they hanged or beheaded the so-
called criminal in short order, while we keep him incar-
cerated for years, subject him to the torture of long jury
trials, set the day for his execution a long way ahead and
allow him in the meantime to suffer
during
death by anticipation
all the intervening time.
We profess that our object is not retaliation, but plead
that it is necessary to safeguard society and to deter others
from committing like crimes, but capital punishment promotes
murder. When a man has homicidal tendencies, he
should be properly restrained so that he may not hurt his
fellowmen. To kill him, however, does not restrain him;
death liberates him in the Desire World, and as the Desire
World is all about us he is at perfect liberty to go among
people and instil into them thoughts of hatred and ven-
geance against society. Therefore, murder is multiplied.