An Eye for an Eye

by Simone de Beauvoir, Lisa Lieberman (Translator)

Where does vengeance end and justice begin? The question is no easier to resolve today than when Simone de Beauvoir wrote this compelling essay in the aftermath of World War II. The immediate occasion for “An Eye for an Eye” was the execution by firing squad of French collaborator Robert Brasillach, a prominent right-wing author who had edited a fascist newspaper during the Occupation. Beauvoir had been in the courtroom for Brasillach’s trial and admits that she was moved by the man’s dignity on the stand. Nevertheless she and Jean-Paul Sartre refused to sign the petition circulated by leading cultural figures of the day calling for his pardon. In this essay, originally published in 1946, now translated from the French with an introduction by Lisa Lieberman. she explains why. ---Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986), studied philosophy at the Sorbonne and taught for a number of years before leaving academic life to write. She became a leading French public intellectual, political activist, feminist theorist, and social theorist, her most influential book being The Second Sex, a classic study of what it means to be a woman. Beauvoir did not consider herself a philosopher, but her significant contributions to existentialism have solidified her legacy in that field. She also wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography in several volumes, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and social issues. ---Lisa Lieberman's writings on French postwar film and literature have appeared in a variety of media. She is the author of Leaving The Cultural Meaning of Suicide, which addresses the suicides of notable Holocaust survivors including Primo Levi, Bruno Bettelheim, and Jean Améry. Trained as a modern European cultural and intellectual historian, she studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University and has taught at Dickinson College. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Essays

35 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Works of Simone de Beauvoir, French writer, existentialist, and feminist, include The Second Sex in 1949 and The Coming of Age , a study in 1970 of views of different cultures on the old.


Simone de Beauvoir, an author and philosopher, wrote novels, monographs, political and social issues, essays, biographies, and an autobiography. People now best know She Came to Stay and The Mandarins , her metaphysical novels. Her treatise, a foundational contemporary tract, of 1949 detailed analysis of oppression of women.

Reviews

[Gary Bonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Eye for an Eye

Simone de Beauvoir
Trans: Lisa Lieberman

Smoothly translated by Lisa Lieberman, Simone de Beauvoir looks at revenge and justice. This is a courageous essay that doesn't flinch from looking at human limitations - even exploring the limits of human will. As well as dealing with logic and the legal process, it looks at the emotional side of revenge and justice - and questions the validity of both.
It's so good to read such a thoughtful and thorough exploration of subjects so many of us steer clear of - or are frightened to address.
Lisa Lieberman's introduction highlights the substance of the essay - 'Why does this revenge so ardently desired leave a taste of ashes in our mouths'.
In her struggle to answer this, Simone de Beauvoir leaves no stone unturned - no matter how scary the subject

[Kent Winward · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Punishment carries the seeds of its own failure." de Beauvoir struggles with her own desires for justice versus the inadequacy of trying to simulate justice through the trial system. Her particular topic was the trials of Nazi collaborators in France after World War II, yet the thoughts are applicable to societal punishment in general. Her honesty and struggle to deal with a desire for vengeance is refreshing, even though I ultimately fall more on the mercy side of the mercy versus justice debate.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously you can’t expect Simone de Beauvoir to provide a list of solutions to the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding retribution, which is probably as old as our civilization, in such a short essay. Although this piece was written immediately after the Second World War and was addressing specific events in the aftermath of the liberation of France and the collapse of Vichy France, the thoughts and pointers raised by de Beauvoir are as relevant today as they were 70 years ago, and act as guiding lights in our debates on the criminal justice system and death penalties.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written essay on the meaning of vengeance and justice, where that line us drawn, and the philosophy of it all.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

A deeply disturbing read. Whilst De Beavouir makes some insightful philosophical commentary on the subjectivity and ambiguity of life, I can not accept any argument that justifies murder. Even if a person is a murderer, to then kill this person is still murder. As Camus argues in The Rebel and reflections on the guillitine, the killing of another human being can never be justified, in any situation. I agree with this except for the obvious case fo self defence. To look at a person in cold blood, and premeditate their execution stems from the same hatred and violence that led the person to commit their murder in the first place. Regardless of what a person has done, they never deserve death, and just as important, no one has a right to take their life. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

Once a murder has occurred, the victim is already dead. Killing the murderer cannot bring them back to life. Therefore, any form of vengeance or revenge is a pseudojustification for violence and for humans to commit horrible acts. The only way we can truly respect a murder victim’s memory and life is to ensure that no other person has to go through the same experience. Therefore, justice is about creating a world where people do not have their rights infringed. Justice IS NOT getting revenge on a murderer by killing them, and executions hold no purpose except for satisfying a person’s sick desire for retribution, and satisfying a murderous impulse is never something I am willing to encourage or justify.

No one has a right to kill another person. No one deserves to die. Revenge is not justice. Justice is crime prevention, restorative justice, rehabilitation. It is dialogue and treatment, not hate and anger.

Executions and capital punishment are always wrong and, at this point in time anyway, I will never support any argument that seems to justify the taking of human life, regardless of the actions that human has committed.

Overall, interesting book but the thesis makes me sick and I throughly disagree with it. I instead agree with the Camus’ thesis in reflections on the guillotine that it is never acceptable to take a human life under any circumstances.

Revenge does not help a victim. All it does is satisfy the public’s murderous and vengeful impulse, an impulse that should never be encouraged or made justified.

[Hades Martín · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For to punish is to recognize man as free in evil as well as in good"

My first reading on De Beauvoir, and a very necessary one. On the subject of punishment, how and to whom it takes place, De Beauvoir's essay offers a deep analysis on the motives of punishment. She offers different arguments and examples. Even though the reader might need to search for some of these examples (not every example is as famous as Hitler of Mussolini), it is possible to read it without looking into this context, as the important information regarding it is already on the text.
The writing is not too hard, neither is it simple. At times I had to analyse syntactically, making sure that I understood properly. As it is an essay, it is short, but also quite dense in the best sense. Fact, example, counter-argument, rebuttal, but linked together in a way that almost makes it literary and very much enjoyable.

I would love to read more by De Beauvoir, I'll take a look into The Second Sex.

[August · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent translation! Highly recommend...