Releasing Terrorists Is Counterproductive-- But So Is Executing Them

 

     Any student of ethics recognizes that it is a complex field with many theories that dictate how people behave. In the case of the terrorists we have been fighting for decades both in the Middle East and right here in the United States, their ethical theory is divine command.

     People who follow divine command believe that their mandate for thoughts and deeds comes from God (or Allah) itself. When people use this as their motivation, they are able to justify the most atrocious acts against humans as insignificant or necessary when it is done for the benefit of their religious power. This is what motivates terrorists, from Osama bin Laden to even the people who joined the Jones or Manson cults. 

     A tenet of the divine command theory is that dying for your cause is not only an acceptable risk, but often its own reward. Suicide bombers are excited to die because they believe in the righteousness of their cause so deeply, they think they will be rewarded in the afterlife.

     There are many arguments against the death penalty, but when I hear people saying terrorists belong on death row, I disagree. When dying is a reward for somebody, why would we not to not only reward them, but make them martyrs and encourage future acts of terror in their name? Republicans often try to make the argument against executing terrorists the equivalent of wanting them released. Let me tell you: life in a supermax prison is a fate worse than an IV drip.

     Releasing terrorists is undoubtedly counterproductive, but so is executing them.