... “our whole political society” - Elberry's Ghost.
I remember reading Resistance, Rebellion, and Death when it first came out. I may still have that copy somewhere. I think it has exerted a continuing influence on me. Camus was so many cuts above the usual "public intellectual."
I still have my copy of this book. Just last week I re-read again "Reflections on the Guillotine", the most clearly reasoned faultless argument for the banishment of capital punishment that I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI remember being immensely impressed by that essay myself. Not entirely convinced, however. I am still bothered that someone who takes another's life should be allowed to keep his, even in the less than ideal circumstances of prison.It seems to me the only restitution that can be given in such a case is the forfeiture of the killer's own life. The problem, of course, is the possibility of error, the execution of an innocent person. I also find it difficult as a Christian to support capital punishment, given that Jesus himself was a victim of it. It it is a problem for which there are no easy solutions.
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