Justice V. Law in Greek Political Thought

by Rubin, Leslie G.; Bullen, Paul; Calvert, Brian; Collins, Tim; Conklin, William E.; Deneen, Patrick J.; Frank, Jill; Jang, In Ha; Janszen, Nick; Linker, Damon; Miller, Fred D., Jr.; Parens, Joshua; Philippakis, Katherine; Scott, John T.; Swanson, Judith

• ISBN13: 9780847684236
• ISBN10: 0847684237
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-03-13
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

Do we believe the law good because it is just, or is it just because we think it is good? This collection of essays addresses the relationship of justice to law through the works of Homer, Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, Sophocles and the Islamic thinker al Farabi. The issues explored include the foundations of our understanding of justice; the foundation of authority of law; the relative merits of the rule of law versus the authority of a wise and just king; the uneasy relationship between particular laws and the general notion of justice (equity); various aspects of justice (reciprocity, proportionality) and their application in law; and the necessity of the rule of law to the goodness and success of a political order. The distinguished contributors often make explicit comparisons to modern situations and contemporary debates. This book will be valuable for those interested in classical political theory, political philosophy, and law.

Table of Contents

Preface
Beginning from Justice	p. 1
The Problematic Character of Socrates' Defense of Justice in Plato's Republic	p. 3
See No Evil: The Story of Gyges in Herodotus and Plato	p. 27
Aristotle and the "City of Sows": Doing Justice to Plato	p. 41
The Divine Comedy of Homer: Defining Political Virtue through Comic Depictions of the Gods	p. 69
The Odyssey of Political Theory	p. 83
Beginning from Law	p. 111
The Foundations and Defense of Law	p. 113
Hegel, the Author and Authority in Sophocles' Antigone	p. 129
Aristotle on How to Preserve a Regime: Maintaining Precedent, Privacy, and Peace through the Rule of Law	p. 153
Aristotle and American Classical Republicanism	p. 183
The Rule of Law or Pambasileia: Competing Claims for Rule in Aristotle's Politics	p. 195
Aristotle's Legislative Science	p. 213
Lawmakers and Ordinary People in Aristotle	p. 229
The Death Penalty in Plato's Laws	p. 243
Index	p. 263
About the Contributors	p. 267
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