Here we go again. Another volatile, violent and oppressive ruler is dead, and the world is likely safer. However, just as we saw with bin Laden a few months ago, people are reacting with joy and celebration over the murder of another person. This again evokes controversy over how we should react when a human dies, and what is "just" in this type of situation. Yahoo! News reports, "Dragged from hiding in a drainage pipe, a wounded Moammar Gadhafi raised his hands and begged revolutionary fighters: "Don't kill me, my sons." Within an hour, he was dead, but not before jubilant Libyans had vented decades of hatred by pulling the eccentric dictator's hair and parading his bloodied body on the hood of a truck." Is this justice? Does this vengeance reverse the suffering caused and evil committed by this man, or is this an "eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind" type of situation?
Kant would seemingly argue that the brutal murder of Gadhafi is both unjust and immoral. We cannot wish the murder of an evil person as a universal maxim, can we? We cannot wish torture as a universal maxim, can we? Mill might lean more towards allowing the murder, given that murdering one man is more beneficial for the greater good than the suffering and death he caused his people. However, is setting this precedent for "allowable torture" truly beneficial to the greater good? The murder of Gadhafi certainly violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which clearly protects people from torture and murder. Still, the world rejoices in the wake of the brutal murder of another human. Where is the line? When does the warranted desire for vengeance become malicious and malignant for society? Evil people have always and will always exist. Can we really continue to celebrate when they are brutally murdered? Why do we exclude these people from the role of the justice system and instead create our own justice system, one in which murder and torture are celebratory practices?
I, too, think this is a serious concern. After bin Laden's death was announced, I remember seeing innumerable videos of people cheering and partying in celebration of his murder. While bin Laden and Gadhafi certainly violated their own share of human rights, murdering (and possibly torturing) them without providing a fair trial is still an injustice; as you quoted, "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." Is it not bad enough that there are countless human rights violations occurring every day that people choose to overlook, without actively supporting and celebrating others?
ReplyDeleteIt seems that we like to think of people like this as exceptions to the law, both judicial and moral. Of course, this is unacceptable in Kant's view. I'm unsure as to where Mill would stand, since Gadhafi was himself an agent of many human rights violations, and his death will hopefully end that. But, as you say, this sets a precedent that such actions are permissible, which could lead to more acting under the same guise. Thus, I think it is clear that the actions taken against bin Laden and Gadhafi, and the succeeding celebrations, are immoral and not to be seen as justified.
I think you make good points. Something else to consider is that he was deprived of a fair trial, violating his rights under articles 10 and 11.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting phenomenon. Originally, I was considering the death penalty as a topic for my research paper so I did some research on Kant and Mill and their perspective. Apparently, both were advocates for the death penalty. I also looked up Hannah Arendt, thinking maybe her "right to rights" philosophy would put her in a different place. Apparently not. During the Eichmann Trial, she claimed that nobody could be expected to want to share the earth with him (or something along those lines). I don't disagree but I also share y'all's concerns about the celebration of death and the special status (the denial of rights) that these men get because of the heinous crimes they have committed. It's disturbing that we celebrate the death sentence of anyone, and I do not believe in the death penalty, but I also have trouble with the case of war criminals, dictators, etc. Of course, dragging a body through the streets is heinous as well. How do we appropriately punish without calling into question our own humanity?
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