Examples Of Hammurabi Unfair Justice

Justice is the quality of being fair and reasonable. Hammurabi’s Code, found in Mesopotamia, was the first set of laws written and followed by a society. Hammurabi was an ancient king who ruled Babylonia, a city-state located in Mesopotamia. Hammurabi made a Code of 282 laws carved on stele, a large stone column. These laws touched on topics such as: Family, Property, and Personal Injury Laws. In my opinion, all of these laws were unjust, unfair, and in some cases unnecessary. The Laws were based mostly on social class, and lives were valued differently, for example, a free man’s life was valued much more than a slave’s life. No matter the time period, it is not fair way to base a person’s punishment for breaking the Law on the amount of money …show more content…
One can see a multitude of times that his Code demonstrates favoritism and excessive amounts of unnecessary punishment. This is exhibited in Laws 129 and 195. Law 129 states: “ If a married lady is caught (in adultery) with another man, they shall bind them and cast them in the water (Document C, Hammurabi’s Code)”. Law 129 demonstrated the excessive violence used to punish a married women’s infidelity. In addition to the lack of freedom this law bespeaks there is also harsh punishment that is unjust to both the woman and the other man. Rather than discussing and possibly obtaining a divorce, both parties at fault are thrown into a river as an act of punishment. This not only seems odious but solves no problems, which is the purpose of a law. Furthermore, Law 195 states: “If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off (Document C, Hammurabi’s Code)”. Although brief, Law 195 demonstrates how Hammurabi's Code was unjust. One does not know why the son has hit the father, what if it was self-defense? Of course hitting one’s father is harmful, but is handling the physical abuse with more physical abuse the right option? I believe it should be the family's’ decision not the government’s as to what punishment is given. Overall, these family Laws are not only quite excessive but create more problems than they …show more content…
The personal injury Laws like all the others are unjust. This is exhibited in Laws: 209, 213, and 218. Law’s 209 and 213 set out the different punishment for a man who hits a slave-girl in contrast to the daughter of a free man and makes these women lose their baby. Not only does he only have to pay shekels of silver instead of serving jail time, but he must pay the free woman more shekels then slave-girl, as their lives are valued differently. This is unjust because Laws should not be based upon social class but rather they should be equally carried out. A life is a life, and to put a price not only on the crime but on each life is heinous. A free man should not have the ability to pay his way out of something. Law 218 states: “If a surgeon has operated with a bronze lancet on a free man for a serious injury, and caused his death, … his hands shall be cut off (Document E, Hammurabi’s Code)”. This is unfair to the surgeon because if the free man lives or dies comes down to chance at the end of the day. Furthermore, to cut off the surgeon's hands for something he tried his best to prevent seems criminal. There is also the issue that the Law says ‘freeman’ implying that if he was a slave there is a different punishment. These Personal Injury Laws are unjust as they are largely based upon social class rather than the alleged crime at