I readily concede at the outset that present ways of dealing out capital punishment are as revolting as Mr. Koestler says in his harrowingvolume, Hanged by the Neck.
首先我愿意承认，置人于死的现有方式是令人震惊的，就象凯斯特勒先生在《绞刑》一书中所描写的那样惨不忍睹。
Like many of our prisons, our modes of execution should change.
与我国许多监狱的情况一样，我们的行刑方式也应当改变。
But this objection to barbarity does not mean that capital punishment - or rather, judicial homicide - should not go on.
但是，反对野蛮并不意味着死刑--确切地说是按法律处死--应该废除。
The illicit jump we find here, on the threshold of the inquiry, is characteristic of the abolitionist and must be disallowed at every point.
在开始探究这一问题时，我们就发现这种一下子就得出荒谬结论的做法是废除派的一个特征。
Let us bear in mind the possibility of devising a painless, sudden and dignified death and see whether its administration is justifiable.
这种做法必须全面予以禁止。我们应该记住，有可能设计一种无痛苦、迅速而又威严的处死方式，并检验一下对这种方式的执行是否合理得当。
The four main arguments advanced against the death penalty are: 1) Punishment for crime is a primitive idea rooted in revenge;
提出反对死刑的四个主要论点是：(1)对犯罪的惩罚是在基于报复的一种原始观念;
2) capital punishment does not deter; 3) judicial error being possible, taking life is an appalling risk;
(2)死刑并不起威慑作用;(3)审判上的失误可能导致滥杀无辜之危险;
4) a civilized state, to deserve its name, must uphold, not violate, the sanctity of human life.
(4)文明国家应名符其实，对神圣不可侵犯的人生只能是维护而不容许亵渎。
I entirely agree with the first pair of propositions, which is why, a moment ago, I replaced the term capital punishment with "judicial homicide."
我完全赞同前两个论点，这就是为什么刚才我用"按法律处死"来代替"死刑"这个字眼的缘故。