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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Vol. 30 No. 1 Jan.-Mar. 2005 250 §ÿ ≥§à “¢Õß™’ «‘ µ¡πÿ …¬å °— ∫‚∑…ª√–À“√„π — ß§¡‰∑¬ªí ®®ÿ ∫— π ¿“…“Õ— ß°ƒ… Albert, Ethel M.; Denise, Theodore C.; and Peterfreund, Sheldon P. Great Traditions in Ethics. New York : D. Van Nostrand Company, 1969. Arthur, John. Ed. Morality and Moral Controversies. Upper Saddle River, N. J. : Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1999. Magill, Frank N. ed. Masterpieces of World Philosophy in Summary Form. New York : Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1961. Olen, Jeffrey and Barry, Vincent. Applying Ethics. Belmont, CA : Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999. Thiroux, Jacques. Ethics, Theory and Practice. Upper Saddle River, N. J. : Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1998. Abstract Value of Human Life and Death Penalty Pataraporn Sirikanchana Associate Fellow of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, The Royal Institute, Thailand Human rights activists and some other people usually understand that an allowance of death penalty in a society is a destruction of human life value. If we carefully consider this issue, however, we may find that death penalty does not necessarily relate to the human life value. In other words, the existence of death penalty does not denote a rejection of such value. Similarly, an abolition of death penalty does not show any respect for the human life. Ethicists take human life value as intrinsic and extrinsic. The value of human life does not end with death. Thus, whether death penalty exists in a society or not, the value of human life is still naturally subject to its own rice and fall. Key words : value of human life, death penalty