What separates revenge from justice?

Question

When the govermaent kills a convicted murderer we call it justice, when a wife runs over her cheating husband with her car as he is exixting the hotel with his mistress, we call that revenge. Revenge and justice get the same point across, not to do it again because there are reprecussions. Revenge and justice are both forms of 'get back' and neither gaurantee the person administrating the acts peace and resolve. And if you ask me they both stem from the same places: anger, feelings of loss, and anquish. so what the heck makes them different?

Answer 1

The difference is very simple.

Justice served is always Revenge (maybe not to the extent which some would like, but it is revenge none the less)

Revenge is not always Justice (when you take the law into your own hands you are an equal offender to the system that you seek Justice from)

Another difference is that Justice is Public knowledge...where as revenge can be a secret shared by one person, and thats not the way to run a society.

Answer 2

The death penalty is given only after a person has been brought to trial and found guilty. There is a presumption of innocence. And it is only given out after a crime of murder. The wife running over her husband is meteing out her own punishment without the accused being given a chance to prove his innocence. The reason for the law is to prevent people from randomly killing each other with impunity. Justice stems from a desire to live in a safe, orderly society. Revenge is a selfish act to hurt others that we have perceived have hurt us.
Now, as to whether we should have a death penalty, that is a different question altogether. Is life so valuable to us that if someone takes another's, he should lose his own? Or, is life so valuable to us that the taking of another's life is never justified, regardless of the crime?

Answer 3

The difference is the emotion, revenge is an emotionaly driven response while justice is given by those who are (at least supposed to be) unbiased and unattatched. A women who runs down her cheating husband in a fit of rage might think better of it if stopped at that minute loss of control. but still reeciave satisfaction from seeing her husband rightly punished later.

Answer 4

One man's Justice is another man's Revenge. However, I think that the Rule of Law and zealously protecting the rights of the accused is the best way to prevent Justice from turning into plain Revenge. If you do that, and they are still convicted, I think that's about the best we can do to make sure it's Justice.

Answer 5

I agree with the spirit of what you are saying, and I oppose the death penalty because I think in that case the government is reducing itself to a barbaric act of revenge.

However, I do think there can be a model of justice that is not vengeful or vindictive: a model based on protecting society from danger, and trying to rehabilitate offenders.

There can be satisfaction in seeing that a violent criminal has been confined, which doesn't necessarily mean we must delight in another person's suffering. We can feel relief and satisfaction, just from knowing that the criminal won't be able to hurt anyone else.

I wish we had better ways of rehabilitating criminals, helping them to make amends for their misdeeds and start over. Our system of justice is deeply flawed, to be sure. But, in principle, it is certainly possible to promote justice without giving in to revenge.

Answer 6

Justice is the court of law, revenge is a spiteful act of taking matter into your own hands.

Answer 7

Motivation

Answer 8

Very Simple!
Justice is a decision made by the judge -consedring everything- not u !
Revenge is a decision made by u in haste!

Answer 9

Revenge is Personal
Justice is Legal

Answer 10

1. Motive

2. Justice is done by legal procedures, and Revenge is done by free will, not always law biding.