Hammurabi’s Code

At the time Hammurabi’s code was written (circa 1750BCE) the family was the basic unit of society. Individual rights were not a consideration. Here is a quote that demonstrates it: “If the architect built a house and the house subsequently collapses, killing the firstborn son of the master, the firstborn son of the architect shall be put to death.”

Culturally in Western Liberal Democracies we now consider the individual to be the holder of rights but in much of the world the family is still paramount. The proposition is still being tested in the marketplace of ideas and occasionally on the battlefield. We shall see.

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