Social Justice In Hammurabi Essay

Laws and customs that dictate a community is the foundation for keeping people humble and obedient. Social justice is a reoccurring theme within ancient civilizations, where a person needs to learn from their status in life to become one with universal truth. Hammurabi’s code is considered the oldest form of written laws to date, and written within King Hammurabi’s Code is the concept of retaliatory justice also called lex talionis. For example, under this system law number 197 states, “If he break another man 's bone, his bone shall be broken” . Capital crimes, such as incest, scheming for murder, murder in general, and traduced crimes were met with grisly death penalties. For crimes that were contested, trial by ordeal was utilized. This meant that the accused were placed in a deadly

There are four classes of people, and each serves a purpose within the cycle of community and life. The Brahmana are the priestly class and considered the most knowledgeable within society. The Kshatriya is the warriors and protectors and force of society. The Brahmana and Kshatriya work closely with one another to ensure counsel and force becomes one. Without knowledge one cannot defeat threats from enemies, and without force, the threat cannot be contained and minimized. Vaishyas were the artisans, farmers, trade workers, and production workers. These classes made up the backbone of society that produces goods that are used throughout society; one can think of them as the blue collar workers of today. Lastly, there are the Shudras who are the servants of society. Each class of individuals is to work with one another, and accept their place, to ensure social harmony. Those who are not content with their status are destined to repeat their caste until they learn the lessons of that