Hammurabi
In ancient Mesopotamia Hammurabi's Law Code were just and reasonable, but the punishments were very retaliatory and barbaric. The system of laws applied to all citizens, however, punishment was not equally applied to all citizens. Punishments had social, gender and government inequality. Different social classes were not equally punished. Despite the inequalities of punishments, Hammurabi's Law Code was a new and great development. The most corrupt and controversial issues were the social or class differences. The laws are reasonable in trying to correct a wrong, but in most cases are extremely unreasonable and unfair in the application of punishment. Document (1,10) states that if a man has knocked out the eye of a patrician, his eye shall be knocked out. However, if a surgeon operates on a patrician's eye and has made the patient lose his eye, [document (1,12)] the surgeon shall lose his hands.
The government is being responsible to help its citizens, like our Social Security. The surgeon is held to a higher standard than a common man in the different punishment applied to the surgeon and to the common man. These laws are examples of gender inequality favoring husbands. The laws dealing with marriage are also reasonable but not the punishment. This is a more equitable and perfect punishment. These laws are unfair from our viewpoint, but can be very fair in other people's viewpoint, depending on their religion and society's stage of development. This action can lead to the punishment of an innocent person or the freedom of a guilty party. Documents (1,10) and (1,11) are more just laws except for the social class differences. Despite the inequalities of punishments, Hammurabi's Law Code established a system of justice which is needed for any society to progress. One of the most serious wrongdoing, is when one has borne false witness. However, document (2,7) clearly states that if a woman has "belittled her husband", she shall be drowned. The criminal's or wrongdoer's social standing, however, should have no influence over the application of the laws. In document (1,2) if a seignior is to destroy the eye of a commoner, the seignior shall pay one mina of silver, however if that same seignior destroys the eye of a member of the aristocracy, they shall destroy the eye of the seignior.
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