an eye for an eye, where do you stand?

[Hrusai]

so we've all heard the quote "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"

but what meaning do you draw from this quote? i've heard many stances on it, personally i take the approach that rather than an advocation of revenge it's more an absolute limit on revenge, e.g. if someone chops off your arm, the most you should do is chop off theirs. don't get me wrong im not saying that i wouldnt kill them, i would.

im just wondering different peoples takes on the meaning of such quotes, as well as how far you would actually take it.

at the end of the day im a realist and if someone took an arm from me, i'd kill them, not because i believe thats what they deserve, but for the sake of self preservation. if i were to cut off their arm, they would inevitably seek further revenge, which would increase my chance of death, therefore to protect me and mine, i would have to kill both them and anyone who would seek revenge for them.

all of this is simply abstract conjecture, but in a post event world, things change and this may become a reality, so its fairly important to get your morals and decide your limits beforehand, im under no illusion of what i am capable of.

[bigpaul]

not " an eye for an eye" as such, more like a life for a life...if you take a life you forfeit your own..simples!

[Hrusai]

(3 July 2012, 11:40)bigpaul Wrote: not " an eye for an eye" as such, more like a life for a life...if you take a life you forfeit your own..simples!

ah but would that policy still stand in a broken world? would you kill to survive?

although i do agree with the life for a life, bring back capital punishment i say, but only for multiple murderers, pedophiles and multiple rapists.

[bigpaul]

(3 July 2012, 11:43)Hrusai Wrote:

(3 July 2012, 11:40)bigpaul Wrote: not " an eye for an eye" as such, more like a life for a life...if you take a life you forfeit your own..simples!

ah but would that policy still stand in a broken world? would you kill to survive?

although i do agree with the life for a life, bring back capital punishment i say, but only for multiple murderers, pedophiles and multiple rapists.

Question 1, answer: in a broken world would i kill to survive? if you mean if someone attacked me or mine, then yes..in a heartbeat, i wouldnt kill someone to get what they have i would try and barter, but in a one on one..yes. Question 2, answer: i favour the 3 strikes and your out school of thought, once was an accident, twice and your in prison, 3 times and "someone fetch me the rope!"

[00111001]

If someone cut your arm off then you're not going to take revenge, you're going to shuffle off this mortal realm, kicking, screaming and waving your one remaining arm about.

[Tibbs735]

I always though that Eye for an Eye meant that the severity of the punishment could only be lesser than or equal to the crime. That interpretation is just about escalation of force though.

[Timelord]

It was talked about on a documentary once, that this quote was only partial and was taken out of context - as is usual with religious dogma. The whole phrase was originally Rather the turn the other cheek thing.. Anyway, a mental wrangle over anything from a religious ideology is always going to be skewed from the start.

---

Should read -- "the whole phrase was originally warning against an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth etc & rather it should be the Christian "turn the other cheek" thing"

[Skean Dhude]

I see it meaning that the response has to be based on the initial action. Someone causes a eye to be lost loses an eye. Death for death.

Although I'm not an advocate of reasonable response. I think that the response should be proportional but scaled up. So much that nobody wants to do that again. So steal £50. Pay £1000 or spemd a day in jail for every £100 owed with you still owing the money.

Proportional response is so PC, it encourages repeat offences.

[Paul]

Hurt my family I hurt you back. Simple.
I just can't get my head round people who forgive someone who killed one of their family.
Forgiveness is an alien emotion to me.
Probably stemming from having to deal with the results of religious and state terrorism.

[The Local Ned]

This is the only ocassion where I agree with a muslim type interpretation of the law.

- theft - hands off.
- possible thief - fingers off.
- adultery - would it matter anymore ?
- murder - a life for a life.
- serious assault - perpetrator made to run a gauntlet of their peers , if the
perp doesnt die , one of the peers takes their place..

Only by creating fear, do we create a respect for the law , that the punishment will be harsher than the crime.