Hammurabi's Codes In The 21st Century

Every society in the Western 21st century has laws and rules that citizens need to abide by. Hammurabi at the time was very advanced and developed a governing system called the Hammurabi’s Code which was a set of 282 laws and standards that all of the citizens of Babylonia needed to abide. Hammurabi’s codes included set punishments that each citizen shall face if he wore to break one the laws that were set (Hammurabi). Although Hammurabi’s codes punishments were much more violent and sever than the punishments set by western 21st society they have many things in common. Hammurabi and the modern western 21st century both had similar ideas of right and wrong. For example, in Hammurabi’s codes stealing was considered a crime and an immoral thing which stealing is also considered a crime in the modern times. This shows that although Hammurabi’s code was put in place in 1772 BCE, …show more content…
A very similar instruction that can be found in Hammurabi’s code is Clause 8 “If a man has stolen an ox, or sheep or an ass or a pig or a goat either from a god or a palace, he shall pay thirty-fold. If he is a plebeian, he shall render ten-fold. If the thief has nothing to pay he shall be slain. (Fiero)” There are many similarities to Hammurabi’s legal ways and the legal views and ways of the modern 21st western society. But, there are also many differences including Hammurabi’s view of an eye for an eye and having many cruel and unusual punishments (Fiero). Hammurabi’s codes gave society a stepping-stone to where we are now with our laws and governance. Without Hammurabi who knows if we would have laws, rules, and consequences for not abiding those laws like we have