Many of us can see the appeal of the Old Testament principle of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” We want a person who made others suffer to suffer as well, preferably in equal measure.
但莱维的批评还有其他错误。说“玷污道德”是树错了靶子。以复仇之名践踏公正并不是不道德的问题。许多人都记得《旧约圣经》中有“以眼还眼，以牙还牙”的句子。对于给别人带来痛苦的人，我们希望他也遭到报应，受到相同的痛苦。公正几乎总是包含着复仇的元素。