SLAVERY

Slavery

Abstract

In this article we will discuss some concepts of Slavery. Slavery can be defined as something of value from A and Transferring it to B through the use, or Threatened use, of physical force. And then it will be discussed that how slavery can ever be justified on any set of moral principles. At the end there is a conclusion of the article providing a closing statement of the article.

Slavery

Introduction

Slavery can be defined as something of value from A and Transferring it to B through the use, or Threatened use, of physical force. Slavery in the New World caused one of the greatest controversies of modern times. People have used the Bible to argue for and against this extremely inhumane practice. Few institutions in history have caused more suffering. A Slave is defined as "a human being who is the property of another and subject to compulsory labor, beyond the limits of the family". Slavery comes in different forms. Women in some societies are called slaves because they have almost no rights. People refer to whole nations of slaves living under totalitarian dictators or to the subjection of tribes or entire peoples or to various forms of serfdom as enslavement but true slavery can only exist where there is freedom, where free men hold other men in bondage. Slavery has existed throughout known history and is still carried on today in parts of Africa and Asia. People have used the Bible to both support and condemn slavery. But what does the Bible really say about slavery? Parts of the Bible condone slavery while others show outright support for it; however these passages reflect the writings and customs of people, not of God. Mircea Eliade writes that the "immediate abolition or attempted abolition of slavery in the Roman empire would probably have led to the collapse of the fabric of society" (602). This is impossible to know of course, but slavery was an integral, if horrible, part of Roman civilization. To attempt to abolish it would have been a radical and dangerous action, to say the least. Still Jesus' silence is disturbing.( Paul, 1998)

Discussion

Some have said that ancient Athenian slavery is not really that bad. In many ways, ancient slavery is contrasted with its American version. For example, manumission was more common in the ancient world, and household slaves are often reported to have been valued friends. Many occupations we would regard highly today were held by slaves in antiquity, including for example the practice of medicine. However, this is beside the point. Agricultural slaves in antiquity were not as fortunate as their urban counterparts; indeed, their lot is generally thought to have been considerably worse than that of slaves in America. More directly, however, the condition of the slaves is not relevant. Even the well-treated slave is still a slave, and it is the fundamental violation of liberty which chattel slavery involves that is the offence.

If we want to attack American slavery as fundamentally incompatible with ...