Re:Russian paramilitary chief says his forces will turn around
by mhb on Saturday June 24, 2023 @08:57PM
(#36464193)
And that's why we don't have the death penalty for shoplifting.
Re:Russian paramilitary chief says his forces will turn around
by AbrahamParangi on Saturday June 24, 2023 @08:59PM
(#36464209)
Probably the strongest argument against the death penalty in general.
Re:Russian paramilitary chief says his forces will turn around
by mhb on Saturday June 24, 2023 @09:00PM
(#36464218)
Not really. It's the same argument for making any punishment proportional to the crime.
Re:Russian paramilitary chief says his forces will turn around
by JumpCrisscross on Sunday June 25, 2023 @01:55AM
(#36465432)
> Not really
Really. It's a threshold problem. If the penalty for shoplifting is death, and the penalty for a massacre is death, a good number of sociopathic shoplifters will gamble for freedom via massacre. (It's rational.)
It's why dictatorships consistently flame out. If there is no peaceful transition of power, losing power means death. That incentivises a dictator on the edge to take risks that otherwise make no sense because even a minute chance of success is worth it.
In the context of a Russian revolution, this animates concerns around our species' first nuclear civil war.
Re:Russian paramilitary chief says his forces will turn around
by phist_mcgee on Saturday June 24, 2023 @09:55PM
(#36464480)
Or the death penalty for sexual crimes. It only leads to an escalation of violence by the perpetrator knowing that there is no way out.
I am reminded of the story:
Chen Sheng was an officer serving the Qin Dynasty, famous for their draconian punishments. He was supposed to lead his army to a rendezvous point, but he got delayed by heavy rains and it became clear he was going to arrive late.
Chen turns to his friend Wu Guang and asks “What’s the penalty for being late?”
“Death,” says Wu.
“And what’s the penalty for rebellion?”
“Death,” says Wu.
“Well then…” says Chen Sheng.
And thus began the famous Dazexiang Uprising, which caused thousands of deaths and helped usher in a period of instability and chaos that resulted in the fall of the Qin Dynasty three years later.