Exploring The Talionic Society
Salon has an interesting interview up with William Ian Miller, professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School and author of the new book “Eye for an Eye”. In the book Miller discusses honor and revenge-based cultures (also known as talionic or lex talionis systems) in the medieval world and posits that the system is more life-affirming than previously thought.
Miller cut his scholarly teeth on the sagas, and he thinks we modern types don’t give the harsh but heroic societies that produced them enough respect…contrary to what we tell ourselves, honor-based societies, Miller argues, often placed a higher value on human lives and human bodies than we do. – Laura Miller, Salon
While the interview lingers too long on the Judeo-Christian God in relation to retaliatory justice, the piece offers many rewarding insights into “eye for an eye” justice systems and the cultures that spawn them.
“The rule of “eye for an eye” originated before there were ready money substances. There were things that worked as money, like grain and cows, but I argue that the dominate money substance in most settings was humans themselves, or parts of humans. You see human beings used as one type of money, as a way of providing a measure of value. You paid in humans, or you paid yourself over to secure a debt.” – William Ian Miller
This appears to be a well-researched work for those looking into pre-modern ideas of justice and law. I would also recommend looking into the back and forth in their “letters” section for that article.
No responses yet
