Monday, April 23, 2012

1


           In the Mosaic Code, there is a law that states if a man hurts a pregnant woman and causes her to miscarry, he must serve a consequence decided by the court. If the woman dies because of the mans’ actions, the man is put to death. An example of one of Hammurabi’s code is if a man goes into a fire in attempt to stop it, but steals something, that man is killed in the fire. Both the Mosaic Code and Hammurabi’s code contain the idea that if you do not follow the rules, you are either dead or receive a penalty from the governing system. In the Ten Commandments (part of the Mosaic Code) it says “Thou shalt not steal,” and in Hammurabi’s code it says “If a man has robbed and been captured, the man shall be put to death.” In both these codes they enforce the idea of no stealing, as well as no cheating, and no murdering, etc. Although Hammurabi's code is more based off of social values and the Mosaic Code derived more from religion, they still have several similarities. They both have morals implemented in the laws; aside from the consequences of breaking the law if you steal, there are morals in the laws that came from religion, cultural diffusion, and social values. Additionally, I think it is important to take a tradition and make it into a written code, or “codify” something because once something is officially written down, it allows for that thing to spread more easily and affect people throughout history- to be passed on. A tradition turned into a written law is what created religions and creates routines that develop overtime, but are based off of traditions.  Codifying traditions also turn simple routines into more of expectations that people learn to follow and reflect on. Now people look at laws and that can almost guide them through life and people can refer to them both negatively and positively. They can look at the good laws and make the world better and practice those laws, and they can look at the bad laws and figure out how to make things better. Codifying laws is essential because it culminates a governing and safety aspect along with a reasonable and valuable sense, therefore people want to follow it.  

No comments:

Post a Comment