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Essay for Hammurabi's Code: Was It Just?

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Answer:

Hammurabi,the king of the small city-state of Babylon,ruled for 42 years making 282 laws being written in cuneiform.Together,these 282 laws carved into a large stone,make up what has come to be known as Hammurabi's code.Hammurabi's code was not just because some of the laws were not only greatly exaggerated towards those accused of crimes,but also the consequences of the suggested crimes were unfair and cruel when viewed through the 21st century perspective.Hummurabi's code is known to have been inscribed into stone in cuneiform.

Because laws were most literally written in stone,the laws could never be altered or changed to suit situations or "new times" better.This is seen as unfair in the 21st century perspective because,for example,The United States constitution can be added into and laws,or amendments,can and have been, repealed while none of this could've have been done to Hummurabi's code.

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Final answer:

Hammurabi's Code was one of the earliest known legal codes, and its justice is a multifaceted question. It established 'an eye for an eye' principle which may seem just, but on the other hand, was grounded in a deeply class-divided society and thus unequal, which from a modern perspective, is unjust.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question of whether or not Hammurabi's Code was just is a complex one. Hammurabi's Code, was one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes, proclaimed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who reigned from 1792 to 1750 B.C. The Hammurabi code of laws, a collection of 282 rules, established standards for commercial interactions and set fines and punishments to meet the requirements of justice.

The punishments were based on the principle of lex talionis, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth which to a certain extent may be considered just because it would try to ensure that punishments were equal to the crime. However, it's not based on equality before the law, but rather on a dividing society into three classes (nobles, commoners, and slaves), where the value of human life varied greatly, based on one's class. This, from a modern perspective, is morally wrong and therefore Was It Just from a contemporary perspective the answer would be no.

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