Is beheading more humane than long winded chemical and electricity executions?

Humanism
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Things seem a bit slow around here, so how about me passing along a provocative question a friend just confronted me with.

Is beheading more humane than long winded chemical and electricity executions?
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Yes, that’s why the French used the guillotine. But don’t miss if you use a sword or an axe. Ann Boleyn’s executioner missed her neck with an axe and had to virtually saw it off with the blade. Death by firing squad is by far the fastest way. And believe me, I’m not advocating beheading the prisoners currently held in Gitmo as revenge killing for the Americans that ISSIS assassinated. That’s an idea fostered by conservative pundits. Or as the Duck Dynasty guy says, “convert em’ or kill em”.
Cap’t Jack

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I really can’t use humane in the same sentence as beheading whatever the context is.
Executions are inhumane period. They are also inhumane to the general population as witnesses.
Ask yourself this: what would be more “humane” for you CC, witnessing a beheading, an electrocution, or a lethal injection-botched or perfectly administered.
None of them are any more humane than the others.
How would you like to have your body restrained, your head put in a clamp, and then a large blade come down and sever your head from your body?

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All such evils are equal. Trying to say one evil is more humane than the others is not even worthy of consideration.
Agreed, even though the most inhumane way to punish a killer is to lock him in a cage for the duration of his life. That's poetic justice anyway. The State can't lobotomize them and turn them into a living zombie any more. Cap't Jack
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Things seem a bit slow around here, so how about me passing along a provocative question a friend just confronted me with.
Is beheading more humane than long winded chemical and electricity executions?
All such evils are equal. Trying to say one evil is more humane than the others is not even worthy of consideration. All executions are inhumane. How could a rational person need an answer to such a question? Lois
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Possibly, in some cases. It should be option, IMO.
According to wikipedia, the last beheading with the guillotine was relatively recent - 1977 (in France).

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All executions are inhumane. How could a rational person need an answer to such a question?
As are wars of choice and profiteering . . . :blank:
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Well isn’t that something to be judged on a case by case scenario?
For example, many of the Nazi War criminals were executed and some of them were not.

Now obviously, it is a matter of perspective.
If one is Jewish or a WWII veteran, they will probably think execution is well deserved punishment.
I personally agree, though again that could vary case by case.
At the end of the day, this is why criminology exists, to find out which variables work best in eliminating crime.
One such variable would certainly be mode of punishment.

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Well isn't that something to be judged on a case by case scenario? For example, many of the Nazi War criminals were executed and some of them were not. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nuremberg/meetthedefendants.html Now obviously, it is a matter of perspective. If one is Jewish or a WWII veteran, they will probably think execution is well deserved punishment. I personally agree, though again that could vary case by case. At the end of the day, this is why criminology exists, to find out which variables work best in eliminating crime. One such variable would certainly be mode of punishment.
We haven't done a very good job of figuring that out yet. Crime has ever been eliminated--certainly not by punishment and not by execution. Lois
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And believe me, I'm not advocating beheading the prisoners currently held in Gitmo as revenge killing for the Americans that ISSIS assassinated. That's an idea fostered by conservative pundits. Or as the Duck Dynasty guy says, "convert em' or kill em". Cap't Jack
Scary, belief that revenge can be justified is at the root of a great deal of killing and suffering in general. Stephen
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At the end of the day, this is why criminology exists, to find out which variables work best in eliminating crime. One such variable would certainly be mode of punishment.
It might well turn out that harsh punishment does't work. Or doesn't work any better than lesser punishment. Or works to prevent some crime but only causes people to be more brutal overall so is still a negative influence. It's a question for science to find out. Stephen
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Scary, belief that revenge can be justified is at the root of a great deal of killing and suffering in general.
And has been since primates jumped out of the trees. Our distant cousins are still doing it actually. It's a developed pattern of group behavior inherent in most societies. The question is how do we as a modern species break out of the mold? Written laws and the ability to enforce them helps but we have to somehow deprogram ourselves from the whole idea of revenge killing. Ideas anyone? Cap't Jack
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Scary, belief that revenge can be justified is at the root of a great deal of killing and suffering in general.
And has been since primates jumped out of the trees. Our distant cousins are still doing it actually. It's a developed pattern of group behavior inherent in most societies. The question is how do we as a modern species break out of the mold? Written laws and the ability to enforce them helps but we have to somehow deprogram ourselves from the whole idea of revenge killing. Ideas anyone? Cap't Jack
Evolution? :-S Lois
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Scary, belief that revenge can be justified is at the root of a great deal of killing and suffering in general.
And has been since primates jumped out of the trees. Our distant cousins are still doing it actually. It's a developed pattern of group behavior inherent in most societies. The question is how do we as a modern species break out of the mold? Written laws and the ability to enforce them helps but we have to somehow deprogram ourselves from the whole idea of revenge killing. Ideas anyone? Cap't Jack
Evolution? :-S Lois I think uncoupling revenge from what most people understand as our "system of justice" would be a peridime shift so vast it could never happen. Most changes in a culture happen by increments. I wonder what those increments could be and how many it might take to separate revenge from our "penal" justice system.
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Thevillageatheist - 06 September 2014 01:22 PM Scary, belief that revenge can be justified is at the root of a great deal of killing and suffering in general. And has been since primates jumped out of the trees. Our distant cousins are still doing it actually. It’s a developed pattern of group behavior inherent in most societies. The question is how do we as a modern species break out of the mold? Written laws and the ability to enforce them helps but we have to somehow deprogram ourselves from the whole idea of revenge killing. Ideas anyone? Cap’t Jack Evolution? Lois
No Lois, divine plan. Hell yes, evolution. Group behavior allowed us to survive competition with other groups for resources and yes even the lower primates exibit revenge killing. For primitive societies it was the norm; you steal my women, I steal yours. You kill one of my kinsman, I kill one of yours and on and on. For a glaring example of this current behavior read anything by Napoleon Chagnon concerning the behavior of the Yanomamo Indians. It's a classic example of group behavior, by family ties (blood feuds), tribes and nations. There were 38 blood feuds in our local area alone in the last Century and hundreds were killed. Where else would it have originated from? Cap't Jack
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Scary, belief that revenge can be justified is at the root of a great deal of killing and suffering in general.
And has been since primates jumped out of the trees. Our distant cousins are still doing it actually. It's a developed pattern of group behavior inherent in most societies. The question is how do we as a modern species break out of the mold? Written laws and the ability to enforce them helps but we have to somehow deprogram ourselves from the whole idea of revenge killing. Ideas anyone? Cap't Jack
Evolution? :-S Lois I think uncoupling revenge from what most people understand as our "system of justice" would be a peridime shift so vast it could never happen. Most changes in a culture happen by increments. I wonder what those increments could be and how many it might take to separate revenge from our "penal" justice system.You're right, revenge is part of any justice system, even though most of us won't admit it....because most of us are liars. I wonder if it would even be possible to feel the need for a justice system, if it wasn't for "revenge".
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You're right, revenge is part of any justice system, even though most of us won't admit it....because most of us are liars.
Revenge isn't part of any justice system and shouldn't be. The desire for revenge weakens considerably in time if one doesn't believe in libertarian free will, so belief in that is the main problem.
I wonder if it would even be possible to feel the need for a justice system, if it wasn't for "revenge".
Of course because we need deterrents, so we need rules and penalties and for them to be applied as fairly as we can. Stephen
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You're right, revenge is part of any justice system, even though most of us won't admit it....because most of us are liars.
Revenge isn't part of any justice system and shouldn't be. The desire for revenge weakens considerably in time if one doesn't believe in libertarian free will, so belief in that is the main problem.
I wonder if it would even be possible to feel the need for a justice system, if it wasn't for "revenge".
Of course because we need deterrents, so we need rules and penalties and for them to be applied as fairly as we can. Stephen What we need is to take the worst criminals out of society. That's the only thing prisons should be used for. Deterrence doesn't work in most cases, though it may be worth a try for some lesser cases. Lois
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In the time of the Roman Empire, beheading was reserved for Roman citizens who were convicted of crimes. It was a considered a privilege. Others died more painful, drawn-out deaths, as we know.

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In the time of the Roman Empire, beheading was reserved for Roman citizens who were convicted of crimes. It was a considered a privilege. Others died more painful, drawn-out deaths, as we know.
Interesting definition of privilege. Lois