![]() That victims would seek revenge was already taken as a given. Of course, Gandhi famously said that “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” However, Gandhi did not understand the point of that Old Testament prescription. ![]() That's what "An eye for an eye" expresses. Justice is not served until a wrongdoer gets his due. It’s pretty clear from the empirical evidence that it does neither. Otherwise, why does the state punish wrongdoers? Anyone seriously proposing that punishment is about deterring crime or rehabilitating criminals is living in a fantasy world. Wouldn’t you want that person to suffer to pay for what they did? Wouldn’t you want revenge? Surely, that’s what the criminal justice system was created to provide - payback. Imagine someone commits a heinous crime against someone you love. But does it follow from this that revenge is always a bad thing? So, the desire for revenge is often motivated from spite, bitterness, and an over-bloated ego, and even when the goal is honorable and the cause just, revenge can create more suffering and injustice in the world. New York is also considering similar but more wide-ranging legislation to deal with this problem. Road rage has become a serious problem in the US and, just this month, the governor of California signed a new law into the books to combat “revenge porn” – a recent phenomenon in which bitter exes post private sexual photos of their former lovers on sites dedicated for this very purpose. In the real world, seeking payback can also lead to unfortunate consequences. It’s hard to see how that can restore balance in the moral universe. In the movies, at least, revenge escalates violence, so what started as a just and honorable quest ends up in a blood bath. And it can be very satisfying to see the bad guy finally get his comeuppances, though often settling the score seems to create more victims than it avenges. This is the basic premise of every Clint Eastwood movie ever made. Justice will not prevail until those who have caused suffering are made to suffer themselves. If an injustice has been committed, then the only way to restore balance in the moral universe is if the wrongdoers pay for what they’ve done. When we’re motivated to seek revenge, it’s often out of a sense of fairness. The question we’re asking this week is whether this desire for payback is something we ought to act on. Wanting revenge when you’ve been wronged is a natural human response. We’ve all experienced the desire for revenge, whether it be when some jerk cuts you off in traffic or you discover that your partner has been cheating on you.
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