Reward and Punishment

In the States we all live by laws, codes, and rules that have been induct in place before we were even born. With each law and rule on that point is also a causal effect if we do non justly follow them. For instance, we know that if you kill nearone, there will be forbid consequences. Also, if we excel in our cargoner, we will be reciprocateed appropriately. Justice and fairness atomic number 18 issues that we all strive to achieve. The concept of good and bad in regards to arbiter and fairness ties into our reward and penalization systems. Lets condition a look at how each of these is recitationd in America.First we have reward. pay off is one method of distributing on a fair and just initiation the good we are concerned with (Thiroux, and Krasemann 122). Reward is very desirable in many people looks. We have the need to be rewarded for our efforts, whether it is at acetify or at home. There are two major theories that submit with how reward should be distributed w hich are retributivist and functional. Retributivist, or deserts speculation rewards found on what people deserve for what they have through with(p) in the past, non for what the consequences for what they have done will be.Rewarding based on ones efforts is the main focus. According to the retributivist theory, if two people are enrolled in the homogeneous Ethics class and put in the same effort, they should end up with the same grade. This would agnizem to be unfair to many people. The practice session totally is one of the major issues regarding retributivist theory. There is no incentive for a someone to produce a higher quality of work or attempt a insidious occupation. Utilitarian theory is based upon good consequences for everyone change by acts or rules (Thiroux, and Krasemann 129).The emphasis is on the future and the rewards should be chargen up only when someone is seeking to bring good consequences to everyone. The idea is to guard someone an incentive to do better or work harder (Thiroux, and Krasemann 129). This theory also believes in rewarding people for working in dangerous or unpleasant occupations because it ultimately brings about the gr go througher good for everyone involved. maven problem of this theory is that the rewards are based on production and not hard work. In America I believe that we tend to use a combination of both retributive and utilitarian.Each theory has aspects to them that sound equal to the way some people are evaluated for rewards. While there are no hard fast rules as to how we should distribute rewards, everyone deal approve that it should be done in the fairest method mathematical. The four basic shipway that goods or rewards mass be distributed are equally among all without merit, a someones abilities, merit, and needs. The combination of criteria is specific to the situation for which we are basing the reward upon. For example, we distribute goods out based on needs. Think of a unsettled person and what their needs might be shelter, food, water, just to name a few.There are many local homeless shelters and soup kitchens that help conglomerate these needs. Someone that is not homeless might argue that it isnt fair that they would not be allowed to sleep in the shelter or eat at the soup kitchen, but if we think about the criteria for distributing goods, this person does not have the same need as a homeless person does. If the person disregards the need of others over his based on selfishness, the result could be in the form of punishment. Punishment is defined as the infliction of some kind of pain or loss upon a person for a misdeed (i. e. , the transgression of a law or command).Punishment may take forms ranging from capital punishment, forced labor, imprisonment and fines ( encyclopaedia Britannica). There are three diametric theories regarding how punishment should be distributed. The retributive theory states that punishment should be assumption only when it is deserved and the severity should match the extent of the crime. It is only concerned with the past and is disposed to deter future offensive behavior. Punishment is let upn to restore order within a society. A view of retributivism can be found in a saying in the sure-enough(a) Testament, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Thiroux, and Krasemann 135).Retributive justice attempts to ensure that the punishment fits the crime so if you have committed a murder, you are put into prison for longer than if you have stolen a car. Another view is that of the utilitarian theory and it is focused on the future rather than the past. Punishment is not given because a crime, but given so that something good could result. An example would be instilling dishonor in a person if they did something that we aspect is wrong. Lastly, we have the restitution theory. Restitution is provided to victims by those that committed the crimes.This could be stark(a) easily when dealing with a crim e like theft. According to restitution, if we give back the item that was stolen, justice would be achieved. When thinking about how America approaches punishment, I believe that we again use a combination of theories. The united States, we have been focused on retribution mainly because of the idea of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth which has been influential for thousands of years and used in antique law (Encyclopedia Britannica). This focus on retribution has made the United States beseech retaliation against criminals.This can clearly be demonstrated with the terrorist attacks of 9-11. The use of shame is also used a lot and I usually see it in younger electric razorren as a tactic to teach the child right from wrong. Restitution is also commonly used when the punishment can be easily resolved with this method. There will always be controversy over the effectiveness of how we reward and punish people in our society. The best we can hope for is that everyone tries to c onduct themselves in the highest morals possible and in the event that punishment must be given it is done so in the fairest way possible.Punishment is necessary because it can also give a sense of closure and helps victims move on with their lives.Bibliography Punishment. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2010 http//original. search. eb. com. bloomington. libproxy. ivytech. edu. allstate. libproxy. ivytech. edu/eb/article-272347. Thiroux, Jacques, and Keith Krasemann. Ethics Theory and Practice. 10th. Upper Saddle River, NJ Prentice Hall, 2009. 122. Print.