An Eye for Eye… Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Does.
“An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind.” Chances are, you’ve heard this quote, which is typically attributed to Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi. While it’s not clear that he ever said these words, they do summarize his philosophy of pacifism. And the point of it could not be clearer: revenge and vigilante justice only create more violence, more suffering, and more pain.
You don’t have to look far to see evidence of how revenge fuels total chaos. Just look at the past few decades of human affairs, “frozen conflicts,” and humanitarian crises:
- The Arab-Israeli Conflict (1947 — present)
- Myanmar Civil War (1948 —present)
- The Cyprus Crisis (1954 — present)
- “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland (1960s —2003)
- Afghan Civil War (1978 — present)
- The Bosnian War (1992–95)
- The Rwandan Genocide (1994)
- Congo Crises & Civil Wars (1993-present)
How many of these began as attempts to get revenge for some historic wrong? How many of them spilled over into neighboring countries or simply went on and one because of a cycle of revenge and “blood for blood”? Trick question, some or all apply to every example listed.
The logic is indisputable. Whenever people decide to take matters into their own hands and commit an act of vengeance, a cycle of violence is created that will keep fueling itself until everyone is either dead, or admits that the conflict is futile.
The Source
But here’s the thing. The whole “eye for an eye” saying is often traced to the Exodus 21:23–25, where it is written: “But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,an eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”
But in truth, the saying traces its existence to the Code of Hammurabi, created between 1755 and 1750 BCE in Babylon and coinciding with the reign of Hammurabi - the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty (ca. 1894–1595 BCE). While some believe it is the oldest known formal legal code, it is recognized internationally as being the longest, best-organized, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient world.
What does this code say? Well, alot of things — like A LOT! The entire Code comprises 282 rules, some religious invocations, plus a commentary from Hammurabi himself. Among the many, many laws listed, the Code contains the following gems:
196. Anyone destroying the eye of another shall suffer the loss of an eye as punishment therefor.
197. If anyone fractures the bones of another, the guilty one, upon conviction, shall have his bones fractured in punishment therefor…
200. If anyone knocks out the teeth of one, his equal [in rank], his teeth are to be knocked out, upon conviction of the offense.
In short, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” and a bone for a bone (the saying leaves that last one out). The purpose of this Code was to create a formalized system law that applied everywhere in the Empire, and to all people living therein. The reason it is so long was to avoid ambiguity, inconsistency, and the vagaries of interpretation.
More to the point, it was created to prevent assaults, murders, and revenge killings. Put another way, the Code establishes that the power to punish subjects rests solely with the state.
Revenge = Bad!
This is one of the cornerstones of “civilization” as we know it, where states place a monopoly on force in the form of professional armies, civil militias, and police. The reason is simple: infighting between people creates chaos and a never-ending cycle of violence. Hence why every known social code contains a proscription against the killing of one’s neighbors.
There’s usually something about stealing from them or envying what they have (that stuff leads to murder!) Here too, you don’t have to look far for examples. For societies where family ties and kinship were the main source of authority, blood feuds and vendettas are common. Some well-known examples include mob warfare and gang warfare of the past century, like:
- The Castellammarese War (1930–31)
- The Ciaculli massacre, or “First Mafia War” (1961 — 1963)
- The Second Mafia War (1981 — 1984)
- LA Gang Wars (1983—2003)
- Quebec Biker War (1994 — 2002)
But history is replete with instances of vengeance killings that were considered a matter of honor and perfectly acceptable. The ancient Hebrews even had a word for it — go’el haddam, which translates to “avenger of blood.” As it says in The Book of Numbers (35:19–21):
The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death. If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death; that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when they meet.
So basically, the Code of Hammurabi and Gandhi (or whoever made the quote) were on the exact same page when it came to notions of justice. Don’t go and commit a vengeance killing, or you’re likely to be next, and the cycle will continue until the participants agree that it’s time for the bloodshed to end, or some external authority steps in to end it.
Conclusion?
The next time someone says, “An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind,” perhaps you should set them straight. Let them know that it’s actually a philosophy that discourages vengeance, vigilante justice, and the cycle of violence these create. In short, “an eye for an eye” prevents people from going blind and toothless by making sure the damage is contained.
Not exactly a searing burst of revelation, but I think it’s food for thought.
