The Issue Of Establishing A Just Society

At the time, it was cruel to give harsh punishments to the accused if he/she cause a minor problem and they don’t do anything to help the victim. The property laws are unnecessary to the accused and even if the accused did something on accident, they still maybe end up killing him/her. The personal injury laws don’t even help because the laws punishments are basically killing the accused or chopping off a body part. In that time, the people thought that these laws were fair, But all in all, this is why the laws in Hammurabi’s code were unjust to not only the victim and the accused, but to society as

Hammurabi’s code is believed to be the first form of written law. It consists of a set of 282 laws written by Hammurabi, the king of Babylon circa 1792 BCE, that established a written social contract amongst the people of Babylonia. It was written on a stone stele that stands more than eight feet tall and weighs over 4 tons (doc A). According to the stele, Hammurabi was instructed to create the code by Shamash, the god of justice (doc B). However, it introduces conflicting ideas about justice that are arguable to this day. Were his rules unethical or his punishments too severe? Hammurabi’s code may be seen as unfair by today’s standards, but in solving matters that involve family, property, and health issues of his time, Hammurabi’s code was just because it utilizes negative reinforcement to implement positive results in society.

Hammurabi's Code was not nearly as forgiving. While The Laws of Ur-Nammu doled out fines as penalties, Hammurabi's Code delivered death for many crimes. Hammurabi also has a much different view concerning the treatment of rape: "If a man violate the wife of another man...and sleep with her and be surprised, this man shall be put to death, but the wife is blameless." Also, assault was no longer punishable by just a fine: "If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out." Death was a sentence for false accusations, theft and robbery, bad construction, kidnapping, as well as many other offenses. By the time of Hammurabi's rule, Mesopotamia had formed its own identity. While it remained a land where most any person could be accepted, the time for regulating the territory had come.

Hammurabi’s code included some gruesome punishments, some that might be believed as unruly, but is still just. Hammurabi’s code was just in many ways pertaining to their time. These laws are not the oldest set, but they were possibly the most strict from the ancient world. The punishments for breaking some laws are different for the multiple classes on the social structure and genders. Also, during his time, Hammurabi was known more as a builder and conqueror than a law-giver. All in all, the laws abiding in Hammurabi’s code are just because of its personal injury and family laws.

Hammurabi’s Personal Injury law was unjust because If a man knocked out the eye of a free man, then his eye shall be knocked out. Another reason, If a man strikes the daughter of a free man, and she loses the fruit of her womb, he shall pay 10 shekels of silver. Some people may claim Hammurabi’s code was just but actually it's not just because If a surgeon has operated with a bronze lancet on a free men for a serious injury and caused his death, his hands shall be cut off. This is unjust because the surgeon was suppose to help the free man survive not cut his hands off when he is already dead.

In regards to the Hammurabi Code of Law, Hammurabi claimed that the gods had picked him to “promote the welfare of the people …to cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and evil, so that the strong might not oppress the weak…” His intention was to hold those under his rule accountable for their actions and inspire “appropriate behaviors”. In fact, according to literature, the code functioned on the principle of “lex talionis” which basically translates as the “law of retaliation”. The idea was that the punishment would fit the crime, at least in theory. Similar to today’s laws, individual judges were allowed discretion and did not always follow the code specifically. Never the less, the code was always utilized as a reference for solution. (Bentley and Zeigler, p. 30)

The personal injury laws in Hammurabi's code have harsh but suitable consequences. They can be just to all. The personal injury laws are just because they show that injury can lead to people in the society to hurt,or not able to help out around the farm. The personal injury laws show that there are consequences for doing bad, but rewards for doing good. One example from Hammurabi's code is that " If a man has knocked out the eye of a free man his eye should be knocked out" This law is fair to the society because it shows that you can not hurt others,and get away with it. If you hurt others the same thing will happen to you. This shows that Hammurabi wanted his community to be harmless and caring to others.The next code is that " If a surgeon

Ever since the dawn of man’s search for justice, the death penalty, has been a consequence for particularly heinous crimes. Over the years society has debated whether the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment. People who oppose of the death penalty view supporters as gun-slinging "rednecks" who live in the backwoods of America. Likewise, supporters view those who oppose the death penalty as uptight "suits" who live in mansions and believes that every person, no matter their crime, deserves to live. Those who oppose the death penalty argue that life in prison is a preferable solution to the death penalty. The supporters of the death penalty argue that Hammurabi’s code, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life, is an

But King Hammurabi has decided that if the surgeon has already caused one death, his hands shall be cut off so he cannot cause another death. Think about the best doctors in the world- even they may not have been able to save some patients lives, but their hands are never cut off- they improve their medicines and processes and help more people. Another law that proves Hammurabi’s Code is unjust partially because of laws under Personal Injury is Law 196. Law 196 states,”If a man has knocked out the eye of a free man, his eye shall be knocked out.” This is a one for one situation in which the man will get his eye knocked out if he ever knocks out the eye of a free man. The free man whose eye first got knocked out should receive money for medical bills, not the other man’s eye knocked out. He has no use for the offenders knocked out eye, even though the punishment is fair enough for the act. Alternatively, Law 199,” If he

Hammurabi’s Code shows that when Hammurabi ruled the Empire of Babylon justice was typically just doing what had been done to the victim to the wrong doer. Passages 196 and 197 are perfect examples of this. Passage 196 says if a man destroys another man’s eye,

Hammurabi's Code Have you ever heard of Hammurabi's Code? And if so, do you think the code was just? His laws, in my opinion, are very harsh and not fitting to the case. My reasons for this being is the family, property and personal injury.

Regardless of the time period, everybody should have been treated equally. In Law 213, it stated, “If he has struck the slave-girl of a free man and causes her to lose the fruit of her womb, he shall pay two shekels of silver” (Law 213, Doc E). Hammurabi believed that if a man causes a slave-girl to lose her baby, he would pay two shekels of silver. This was unjust because it meant that people were not treated equally. On the stele, it read, “If a surgeon has operated with a bronze lancet on a free man for a serious injury, and has caused his death, … his hands shall be cut off” (Law 218, Doc E). Law 218 was designed to have the accused (surgeon) receive a painful physical punishment if he operated on a free man and caused his death. Injustice could be seen through this law because society lost a doctor and the accused was just doing his

Imagine a world, where all is fair, and everything is just. That world you're imagining is a world with Hammurabi's Code. Hammurabi was the sixth king of Babylonia reigning from around 1792 to 1750 BCE (42 years). Although Hammurabi did a lot of things in his life, he is most well known for making, "Hammurabi's Code." Hammurabi's Code is 282 laws set to display justice for the weak and the powerless.

Four thousand years ago, in the state of Babylonia, ruled a king named Hammurabi, Hammurabi made a set of two hundred eighty two laws name Hammurabi’s code, to protect the weak, but were they really just? Through my prospective these laws were not fair because they did not try to help the family solve its problems, instead it acted based on what happened, Hammurabi’s code destroyed/ruined personal property, and it encouraged personal injury.

Hammurabi's code was based on the saying ‘an eye for an eye'. This means that the retribution for the crime would roughly fit the severity of the crime. For example, if someone poked someone's eye out, someone would poke that someone's eye out. I think this is fair because it doesn't make sense any other way. For instance,