Martha Nussbaum’s views are needed in the Indian context where we face various social problems (“‘ >For a politics of humanism ’,” March 26). She is right in saying that “People are not born criminal by nature, or only a very tiny number of psychopaths are. Most crime is bred by despair and social marginalisation.” The death penalty is no solution to prevent such crimes. We must respect the dignity of every individual and ensure that most social, economical and psychological needs in a society are met in order to cut down the rate of crime.
Saurabh Srivastava,
New Delhi
