Hammourabi

Summary

Dominique Pagani refers to Hammurabi almost exclusively through his code, whose stele, he notes, can be seen in the Louvre. He stresses its paradox: its penalties strike us as barbaric, such as cutting off the thief's hand, yet it marks a step forward, that of a written law1. Following Hegel's reading, he sees it as the first law that depends on a shared text recognised by all, and no longer on the whim or arbitrariness of the prince or despot23. He uses it to show that rules prevent anyone from simply imposing his own will4. He also points out that on the stele it is the god who hands the law to the sovereign5. In Hegelian terms, he treats the code as an example of objectified spirit, of externalised law67, or as the ready-made rule of a substantial society. He also cites it as an ancient mode of legislation, in contexts as varied as vengeance, Greek mythology and music.

1. 1V for Vengeance5 Jan 2015 · 5:45
2. 2Hegel on the Beach 4/52 Feb 2016 · 2:03:42
3. 3#4.3 Angélique (by Nerval)11 Dec 2017 · 1:01:34
4. 4L'île du Peuple: the debate23 Jun 2015 · 26:24
5. 5#1.5 Between crisis and war: philosophising?10 Dec 2015 · 1:19:47
6. 6#4.8 Angélique (by Nerval)16 May 2018 · 1:17:34
7. 7#12 Nietzsche (right up) against Wagner28 Jan 2021 · 35:09

Summary produced automatically from 11 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.