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Examples Of Code Of Hammurabi

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Examples Of Code Of Hammurabi
Take Home Exam #1
Discuss the legal concept of lex talionis (retributive justice) of which Hammurabi's code (among others) is an example. How does this differ from distributive (or corrective) justice? How does this compare to our system of justice in the U.S. today?
Lex Talionis follows the ideology of retributive justice, one of four types of justice that is mainly affixed on punishment. An example of this would be- the old phrase, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" which is a paraphrase derived from Hammurabi's code. Hammurabi's code is "a Babylonian legal code of the 18th century b.c. or earlier, instituted by Hammurabi and dealing with criminal and civil matters". [1] Detailed in the code were consequences for a number of scenarios ranging from assault, accusation, debt, family matters, farming and herding animals, and the ownership of slaves. This code was compiled for more than keeping order within his kingdom, in addition it was created to unify his expanding kingdom. Hammurabi foresaw that in order to maintain justice he would need a single set of laws to have all the diverse people in his land abide …show more content…
Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/code%2Bof%2Bhammurabi>.
[2] "Hammurabi's Code: An Eye for an Eye." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://www.ushistory.org/civ/4c.asp>.
[3] "Types of Justice | Beyond Intractability." Types of Justice | Beyond Intractability. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2014. <http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/types-of-justice>.
[4] Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1949
[5] George, A. R. The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition and Cuneiform Texts. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003. Print.
[6] Brown, James. James Brown - It's a Man's World. Polydor/Universal Records, 1966. Vinyl
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