In the earliest myths, punishment descended from the heavens. The defiant were struck down, chained, or condemned to eternal repetition: Prometheus bound for stealing fire; Sisyphus condemned to his ceaseless ascent; Tantalus forever reaching for what retreats. These figures embodied divine justice as spectacle and punishment as something done tothe transgressor by cosmic authority. Then, philosophers started to reframe mythic punishment … Continue reading Justified & Ancient →