Do you believe in "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"

Its one of the questions on the political thingy posted earlier,

I personally disagree. Its surely one of the largest factors in world instability and terrorism. It was being discussed on breakie TV in light of the recent bombing attacks, the vicious circle that is created by revenge attacks simply excacerbates the problem further. I think its a problem that is endemic of civilisation and society.

There is an answer to this which has been proved in an experiment conducted on an island out on the pacific somewhere, but first I want to hear your views and see how you arrive at it!

no I do not believe in "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" The human race has an actrocious history of wars and genocide we've inflicted upon ourselves, it seems we never learn from our mistakes... it seems the human race is a terribly flawed species... violence breeds violence, revenge killings lead to further revenge killings... It's a terrible philosophy to follow...

The answer is yo.

Justice is almost never the same of revenge, it's obvious. Crimes must be punished (I'm not on the side of easy forgiveness either) but the good must never degenerate to the level of the bad, or it's no good anymore and it's as bad as the bad. My partisan uncle made prisoner an evil fascist during the war and my uncle's mates wanted to kick the shit out of the fascist, but he stopped them making them realise the difference between "us" and "them" was we didn't behave like them. That's always been a lesson for me.

Eye for an eye doesn't solve anything-- violence just begets more violence, revenge begets further revenge. A stupid endless cycle of violence.

I read somewhere once, though, that "eye for an eye" had a different meaning than what we take it to mean. It was supposed to mean that punishment was supposed to be appropriate to the crime-- that you didn't, for example, kill somebody for taking an eye; punishment was limited to no more than taking an eye. It's the difference between a system of laws, and a system of revenge.

On a personal level or on a world level? On a personal level,then i suppose yeah-i never let anyone get one over on me. But i dont think on a world level its the right attitude,

I try to live by the mottos of love your enemy and turn the other cheek. I practice however I still want vengence and retribution.

It's something that smarter people than me have been trying to decide for centuries....stupid fuckwits

I guess on some level, after 9/11, I would've fallen into the pro camp; in light of the preemptive and horribly awful war in Iraq, I'm a bit more in the con camp. It often depends on the situation, and I think if you ask most people they'll echo the same sentiment.

NO ...just get your mates to beat em up whilst you have a beer!:p

Nope... Don't like the thought of the whole world being blind and toothless

Revenge is sweet as long as the other party doesn't take revenge back on you

Revenge is a good thing, as long as you don't get caught. If you punish whoever's wronged you, it shows that you won't stand for being treated badly and you're not a pushover.

Punishment: Revenge: (*) They're different.

(*) Except for Hooky's band, best side project for me!

this is no fun, we all seem to agree.

revenge were shite : unline that unkle song

im against an eye for an eye.

going back to the question - surely one of the most taken out of context things from the bible ever?

the whole thing is an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth that is how it should not be.

so there you go.

Mr Hibster what the !@#$ is going on with that fat kid in your avatar???

Originally posted by Mr Hibster going back to the question - surely one of the most taken out of context things from the bible ever?

surely you mean hammurabi's code?

Originally posted by Mick Aneworderfan Punishment: Revenge: (*)They're different.

It's a fine line between them, I think.

Fine but important. When you drive there's such a little distance between you and the cars coming from the opposite direction, but it's so important to prevent a car crash...

Oh I don't know, medieval justice has a kind of appeal.

If someone robbed my house, I think it would be the best form of punishment to go to their house, take all their stuff into the street and burn it while they watched.

If they ran over me on their bike while cycling down the pavement, surely we should be able to have their bike crushed in a car-crushing machine?

You get the idea.

But then, what do I know?

In terms of personal interaction, I don't. I try to work things out when possible, the old quote (I think from Wilde), "we judge others by their actions, and ourselves by our intentions" sums things up well. However in terms of international politics and diplomacy, you have to have a measure of listening skills, but at the same time you have to be willing to throw when necessary. I firmly believe in T.R.'s turn of the previous century quote on his foreign policy, "Walk softly but carry a big stick."

The second you turn the other cheek in foreign policy you'll be knocked on yer arse. Much of the world considers a preference for diplomacy after being attacked or harmed in any given way with weakness. It's unfortunate, but reality.

Until each and every parent can be monitored (and this will and probably shouldn't ever happen), we'll always have individuals as well as countries and cultures that wish to do others harm, and take advantage of any weakness they see. As much as I love Jesus and am a Christian, in terms of politics, and international relations, following a policy of turning the other cheek will just get you stomped. You may be the better man in that situation, but you'll still be the dead, better man. Simply put, screw that.

That's my personal view.