Capital punishment Quote by Walter Benjamin
“The killing of a criminal can be moral-but never its legitimation.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "Critique of Violence", 1921
Killing a criminal may be morally permissible, but it never justifies the act itself, separating moral judgment from legal legitimacy.
In simple terms: Murder can be morally okay but not legally justified.
Key Takeaway
Distinguish moral rightness from legal authority.
Themes
justice
morality
legitimacy
violence
Mood
critical
philosophical
Type
ethical
political
When to use this quote
- courtroom decisions
- war crimes
- civil rights activism
Key Concepts
Ethics of punishment
state power
Questions to Reflect On
- Is any killing ever truly just?
- How does legitimacy differ from morality?
A Different Perspective
Legal systems may still legitimize violence despite moral doubts.
![“The law which attempts a man's life [capital punishment] is impractical, unjust, inadmissible. It has never repressed crime--for a second crime is every day committed at the foot of the scaffold.” quote by Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b85/marquis-de-sade-1964_capital-punishment_the-law-which-attempts-a-man-s-life-capi_99486.jpg)
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