Is it better to be governed by fixed written laws, with little discretion on the part of the rulers, or to be governed by the best rulers we can find, using their discretion to try to achieve justice?
I think that it is better to have written laws, mainly because humans, no matter how hard we try, are very opinionated. So without a written law the leader can change the law to fit his own wants or desires anytime, but with a written law everyone is subject to that law, no exceptions. For example, Gilgamesh as king had to answer to none save the gods., he was free to do whatever he wanted, and he did (Myths of Mesopotamia pg. 51-52). the people were forced to take the matter to the gods since they were the only ones with power over Gilgamesh. So yes, a written law is much better than being at the mercy of the ruler's word, which can change at any given time.
Justice is a richly contested and debated idea throughout the historical past. Different cultures and civilizations articulate it differently. We can glean much about an ancient civilization through an analysis of their systems of justice.
ReplyDelete--don't forget to post your paragraph summarizing how and why you might break up The Epic of Gilgamesh into episodes.