One critical philosophy explains the success of Western culture: a community must agree on an essential group of first principles to succeed. Several ancient documents confirm the necessity of first principles, including the Code of Hammurabi and Hebrew literature on creation, laws, and kingship. These writings simultaneously define first principles and explain their impact on the community.
One early work to define and explain a first principle is the Hebrew account of creation, a radical departure from other ancient creation accounts. Moses records this narrative in Genesis and forms an Israeli first principle through God’s position as solitary creator: God holds absolute authority over creation simply because he created all. Like the inventor
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Rather, the Code of Hammurabi institutionalizes inequality by punishing crime based on the victim’s social standings. For example, the Code demands finger amputation for the surgeon that causes the accidental death of a noble, while no comparable punishment exists for the accidental death of a slave. This disparity reflects the differing value offered to the community by the noble and the slave, explained by the community’s investment in each. Through this distinction, the Code of Hammurabi incentivizes surgeons to not operate on those with more societal value. This legal inequality demonstrates a first principle of the Babylonian: good law is designed to protect the community. The Code of Hammurabi does not protect individual rights; it protects the community as a whole, a hallmark of good law.
The Code of Hammurabi implements practical civil laws, but ignores attitude, a key feature of successful communities. However, the Ten Commandments address attitude in the ninth and tenth commandments, which condemn coveting. All other ancient law codes address only actions, ignoring harmful attitudes like coveting. Because coveting exists as a thought, only the sinner and God can recognize coveting, which further re-establishes God’s