wylie period 1 team 5

Bloodlust and the desire for gore in the Edwardian period is a shocking symbol of the twisted state of mind inside all of us. The idea of retribution being immoral is strictly an individual matter of opinion across all varieties of culture and custom. For example, in the bible it states “An eye for an eye.” However, one of political leader Ghandi’s most famous quotes is, “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” So it would be accurate for Edwardian philosophers to conclude that violence as retribution is immoral when the acts of violence become personal revenge rather than retribution for the common good. Today, we justify retribution in saying that for every crime, there should be a punishment, lest our world be infested with wicked people. Therefore, when someone in our world commits a crime or a wrongdoing, they are either put in jail or suffer some other consequence as a result. This is the twenty first century equivalent of amoral retribution. “The Art of War,” a philosophical manuscript by Machiavelli is a true archetype for the Edwardian theory of violence and retribution. It is a literary work which praises brutality and paints a floury picture of the barbarianism that is the act of war. Societies at large compose their own views of retribution, violence, war and revenge in which to follow. However, it is up to a person’s individual conscience and moral standards to conclude whether or not they support the idea of “amoral violence.”