and justice for all
In his commentary of "On Crimes and Punishments" by Beccaria, Voltaire argues that the overuse and or the misuse of the death penalty erodes the very strength of a society. Voltaire's work acts like a thermometer for the age of enlightenment. During the enlightenment era, there was a shift in thought and deed regarding humanity. As a result of this shift, the use of torture, punishment, and the death penalty were reevaluated. Speaking about torture, Voltaire said that "[r]edifined tortures, in which one can see how the human mind has worn itself out making death frightful, seems to be more the inventions of tyranny than of justice"(Voltaire,245). Here, Voltaire comments on how a select few in power use tyranny to oppress the members of a society in the name of justice. Instead of serving the state, the death penalty and torture have adverse affects on the state. Society grows cautious and afraid of its government. It is important to point out that the commoner (both sexes, working class, not of any noble decent) was subject to horrible torture and harsh punishment while there were times when the rich or affluent could use their wealth and power to escape their sentence. This unequal distributi
He questions the ability of man to sentence another man to death. Voltaire reminds society that France was not founded upon the principle of death and oppression. However, he suggests a policy of social service for criminals rather than the death penalty. Hard work (working for society) could teach criminals the value of a community, and therefore they would change their ways. For these reasons, it was difficult to build a strong society. "Our masters, our first legislators, respected the blood of their fellow-countrymen. Life becomes a series of day to day struggles with no sense of togetherness or unity. Voltaire believed in "humanity, which is stronger than the law"(259). This lack of legal uniformity aided the instability of not only the political system but of the community as well. He might have thought it served a kind of medicinal purpose. However, if the death penalty became the cure all, those valuable lessons would never be learned. Harsh punishments, like the death penalty were used in time of revolution and chaos. "This difficulty was solemnly debated before Emperor Henry VI. Voltaire calls laws of this nature political laws because they "are made for reasons of short term need"(263).
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Acceptance Essays
