HISTORY OF ETHICS: HIGHLIGHTS - HISTORY - 2025

The history of ethics is closely related to the history of the human being, since it arises as a consequence of the needs and concerns of man to regulate moral behavior.

Since the beginning of human life on Earth, doubts arose about what should be done and what should not be done. Therefore, it was necessary to establish certain rules that would allow their coexistence.

Code of Hammurabi. According to historians, it can be said that in Mesopotamia the first written and systematized rules existed.

Some historians specify that even primitive men used ethics, only in a different way than what is known today. It is having certain changes according to the social moment that one lives.

Therefore, it is said that the first human beings had to find a way to live together and at the beginning these rules were not written, but were learned with the day.

With the passage of time and the evolution of the human being, the answers to their moral concerns were obtained through the mythical and the religious.

For this reason, they allowed moral standards to be defined by extraordinary beings (gods), a situation that remained until the 15th century, when ethics was separated from the religious aspect.

Mesopotamia and ethics

According to historians, it can be said that in Mesopotamia the first written and systematized rules existed.

These norms were established and written in order to define how human beings should behave in society in order to live together in peace.

An example of such standards is found in the Code of Hammurabi. It is a compilation of the different codes existing in the Babylonian Empire.

The Code of Hammurabi contains 282 Laws or articles and was compiled by Hammurabi (King of Babylon during the period between 1792 and 1750 BC), who claimed that he was chosen by the god Shamash to provide the laws to his people.

Here is the first time in history that the gods are used to establish moral standards. This has been observed with all subsequent world religions.

For this reason, on the stele where it was recorded, Hammurabi is found receiving the Code from the hands of Shamash. In the Code of Hammurabi there is a set of articles called the Law of Talion. They established that whoever committed a crime should receive a punishment identical to the crime committed.

Some Articles of the Code of Hammurabi

Article 195 established that if a son hit his father, the son's hands would be cut off. The aim of this article was to promote respect for parents.

For its part, article 196 established that if a man emptied the eye of another man, his eye would be emptied. 197 specified that if a man broke a bone of another man, his bone will be broken.

200 specified that if a man pulled out another man's tooth, this man's tooth should be pulled out.

These are some of the best known examples today, usually when talking about "revenge" they use the phrase "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

Some of these penalties are strong today and are considered acts of revenge, but in ancient times what was sought was to establish order and they considered that it was necessary to carry out severe punishments in order to avoid inappropriate behavior.

However, not all laws are so harsh and "vindictive." For example, 205 specifies that if a man hurts another, this man must swear: "I have not hurt him on purpose" and the doctor will pay.

With the Code of Hammurabi it is observed how human beings used the gods to dictate moral standards.

Greece and ethics

In Greece, since the 7th century BC, concerns arise about the good and the bad, about life and death, and they began to use philosophy to understand how human behavior should be.

Consequently, diverse groups arise that expose their point of view of the moral norms and the ethics.

The ethics of the Stoics

For their part, the Stoics held that human beings should act in accordance with the "cosmic order." They established that the human being had ethics if he acted without giving importance to success or failure, always striving to be virtuous and acting according to the cosmic order.

Greece Codes

Dragon Code

This code was introduced by Dracon of Thessaly (Athenian legislator) in 621 BC.

Dracon only wrote some of the articles present in the code, while the others already existed. So he put them in writing and saw to it that they were applied. This code, like Hammurabi's, contained very brutal penalties, but its aim was to avoid revenge.

This code was intended to regulate human behavior, establishing what was right and what was wrong, assigning a punishment to each infraction. All with the aim of avoiding the existence of behaviors that threaten coexistence within society.

However, the code had many detractors, it was reformed and thus the Solon Code arose in 590 BC.

Greece's main contributions to ethics

When you talk about ethics you always think of Greece. It was in this territory where the concept of ethics began to form from the point of view of the human being.

Here are some of his contributions to ethics.

1-They founded ethical schools.

2-Rationalized conflicts.

3-They opposed mythical explanations and implemented a logical order. They began to use reason.

4-The rules were established by the human being and were not attributed to an extraordinary being (gods).

Ethics in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages the human being is considered a creation of God that can only feel fully realized if it remains united to God.

Ethics consisted of practicing faith, hope and charity, in order to follow the commandments of God. Here it is evident how religion is the one that governs ethics.

Ethics in the Modern Age

During the Modern Age, reason is separated from faith, so ethics is no longer influenced by religion.

References

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5. Civilization and Ethics. Retrieved on January 3, 2018, from see.org
6. Ancient mesopotamia. Retrieved on January 3, 2018, from classroom.synonym.com
7. Code of Hammurabi. Retrieved on January 3, 2018, from ducksters.com