# An eye for an eye \[Punishment in Iran\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 14, 2011, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-eye-for-an-eye-punishment-in-iran/581884 "2011-05-14T06:23:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![mac9891](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@mac9891](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac9891)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-eye-for-an-eye-punishment-in-iran/581884/101 "2011-05-19T19:23:48Z")
I believe this to be wrong as far as being better people that the offenders like I believe a strong society should be. That is the main problem I have with eye for eye justice, stooping to the level of the criminals. That being said I fine it strangle ok with me, I find myself thing don’t knock his ass out and throw a bunch of acid in his face not just his eyes… ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-eye-for-an-eye-punishment-in-iran/581884/102 "2011-05-19T20:56:08Z")
> [@Xenocrates](#): > > There seems to be a lot of straw-manning going on. Nobody is claiming that vengeance/revenge is the SAME as justice. I, at least, am claiming that vengeance can be just and in this case it is. Nobody is claiming that retributive punishment should form the BASIS of a justice system. Nobody is advocating a middle-ages style justice system (afaik - I’m no middle ages expert). That is, nobody is advocating branding for stealing and the like. > > To those of you who are repulsed by the responses in favor of the punishment, can you elaborate on the reasons for this? As in, can you lay down some plausible moral principles that would preclude the punishment? Myself, I’m starting to think he’s actually getting off easy - she’s blinded and pretty badly disfigured, he’d just be blinded. To my mind, one main argument against the use of mutilation as punishment for crimes is that the effect is permanent and cannot be undone. This means that, should the person later turn out to be innocent, no effective restitution can be made. Even in the best of legal systems, a certain percentage of false convictions are to be expected. Underlying this is the fact that one does not trust the state with the power to deal out mutilations, even though no doubt some persons are fully deserving of them - like people who mutilate others, or molest and murder children. The possibility of false convictions is one aspect; the possibility that the state may use this power in abusive ways is another. The fact that the state in question is Iran makes these objections all the more cogent. I’d not trust my own government with that power; I trust that of Iran, even less. All this is quite apart from and aside from the more emotional reaction that such things are barbaric. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-eye-for-an-eye-punishment-in-iran/581884/103 "2011-05-22T14:30:40Z")
I think it’s a fair thing to do. He blinded a woman for life. He wasn’t even a man about it…he was some little punk…‘throwing acid?’ The word ‘bitch’ comes into my mind, and it isn’t her. At any rate, I have no problem with revenge/punishment/retributive justice. Just because something is revenge/etc…doesn’t mean it isn’t just. This woman will go through unspeakable terrors throughout her life, and giving this punk a life in prison wouldn’t equalize it. A fine wouldn’t do it either. That being said, I’m glad neither one of them is me, and I’m also glad that I wasn’t on the jury. But, there is no miscarriage of justice here. Best wishes, hh [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-eye-for-an-eye-punishment-in-iran/581884.md?page=5)