Justice and Revenge

In many past societies, justice and revenge were considered very similar. As said by Miller, justice was fair if revenge was taken out on the criminal even if it was behind the law’s eye. Today, revenge and justice each have their part in our society. If a citizen of the United States was asked to define revenge, he or she would probably have a very barbaric idea or think of gangs in inner cities. Vengeance and revenge also have a very emotional tie because it is said to be blind and has no end. With all of these negative connotations coming to mind when defining revenge, it is possible to see why revenge is associated with fear. Justice however, is a more rational way of dealing with punishment. Although justice seems to be elusive to many victims, it is a less emotional and depending on the victim, more satisfying endeavor than vengeance. Governments use a system of justice instead of revenge by taking the punishment away from the usually emotional victim and into the hands of lawyers and judges. By using a system of set practices and punishments, emotion does not blur the facts of the case and the minds of the jurors.

A Defense of the Retributivist View

I agreed with Michael Moore's theroy of Retributivism because it is based on a moral conscience. Retributivism is described by punishment only because the offender deserves to be punished for their crime. It is also justified because the law or the people in charge of the law have a certain moral standard. It is also believed in this school of thought that society not only should but has a duty to punish offenders using institutions that guide the citizens. Micheal Moore also believes that humans have a built in conscience that tells them that criminals need to be punished. He thinks that there are very few people that will "turn the other cheek" while they are being wronged or have been wronged. I generally agree with these opinions because if humans did not have a basic human need for justice then it would not have originated in the first place. Although i think that most people have a general sense of compassion, people can only forgive for so long. Retributivism is dangerous for individuals to carry out but with civilized governments and justice systems it is certainly possible.