Law in Greek Philosophy Selected Models (Socrates - Plato - Aristotle)

Abstract

Socrates, who focused on justice as a moral value, as he considered that the law should be based on wisdom and virtue, not on personal interest, argued that (justice is righteousness), and refused to obey laws that contradict moral principles, which led to his trial and execution , followed by his pupil Plato in his book (Republic), he formulated the theory of the virtuous state that is managed by wise philosophers, where the law is an expression of ideal truth, and he believed that the law must maintain a balance between the layers of society, giving priority to the public good at the expense of the individual , then Aristotle, the pupil of Plato, who discussed in his book (Politics ) the law as a tool to achieve justice, and identified three types of governments (monarchy, aristocracy, republic), with a warning against its transformation into tyranny, and also linked natural law and human law, stressing the need for its compatibility with reason.