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Wellsprings
politics

The Rule of Law

imperium legum

A city is better governed by impartial law than by the unchecked will of any ruler, however wise.

The rule of law, or imperium legum, is the principle that government should operate according to fixed legal rules rather than the personal whims of rulers or magistrates. This concept developed across ancient Greek and Roman thought, with thinkers like Plato and Aristotle arguing that laws, being rational and impersonal, provide better governance than rule by individual will. The law itself was sometimes personified as a guardian force that maintains order and protects both mortals and immortals by embodying reason.

The practical consequence of this principle appears in how officials were expected to constrain themselves. When an Athenian magistrate refused to violate the laws despite political pressure, he did so believing that lawful action, even at personal risk, was preferable to expedient rule. Similarly, Athenian jurors were reminded that once the people's votes established law, those laws must remain stable; otherwise, constant repeal by new legislation would undermine justice itself and destroy predictable governance.

Where this idea shows up

273 Greek sources

Where to read it