A question

Oct 30, 2008 13:37

How would you define the difference between revenge and justice?

revenge, justice

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littleshebear October 31 2008, 15:05:40 UTC
I'd argue that revenge is a personal act designed to give you emotional satisfaction at a percieved slight. Justice is the state's strategy for righting a wrong through retribution.

What justice and revenge have in common is that they're both retributive (the perp has caused a harm, so retribution is effected by causing a harm to the perp), however while revence is retributive in content, it is not retributive in form. A certain, recognisable, public system needs to be followed in order for it to be properly just. Justice is society as a whole saying, "This is wrong, you are guilty of that wrong, you will be punished for it."

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