Capital punishment is more commonly known as the death penalty or the death penalty for a crime. This is a very controversial topic and many people and great thinkers have debated it. Two well-known figures are Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. Although both are in favor of capital punishment, the reasons that lead them to this conclusion are completely different. I am personally opposed to capital punishment, but my personal view on it incorporates some mixed elements from both individuals as well as my own personal view. First, in order to understand why Kant and Mill support capital punishment, we must first understand their views on punishment in general. Kant believes in the theory of the categorical imperative, according to which people should "act only in accordance with that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law." (Kant 31) In other words, people should act only in such a way that their actions can become a law applicable universally (to everyone). In The Metaphysics of Morals, Kant's definition of crime is any act that violates public law (Kant 105) and the right to punish is "the right that a ruler has against a subject to inflict pain on him because he committed a crime.” .” (Kant 104) According to Kant, laws exist to protect society. Without them, society cannot exist and, therefore, they must be applied in such a way that people who respect the laws are considered members of society and people who violate the laws lose their right to be members of society and, therefore, must be punished. The level of punishment that should be recommended for the criminal should be equivalent to the seriousness of the crime. Simply put, "an eye for an... middle of paper ... places a person's dignity and honor before life, while Mill places the happiness of society above all else." For Kant, capital punishment serves to preserve the dignity of an individual, while for Mill, capital punishment serves to protect the general happiness of society. If it were up to you, which way would you take the death penalty? Kant and Mill raise good questions and points in their perspective arguments, but there are too many contradictions for me to defend either view. I oppose capital punishment. Works Cited Kant, Immanuel and Mary J. Gregor. Foundations of the metaphysics of morality. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1998. Print. Kant, Immanuel and Mary J. Gregor. The metaphysics of morality. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1996. Print. Mill, John Stuart and George Sher. Utilitarianism. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2001. Print.