HKGÆ00001U KL.GR: Græsk seminar: ‘Law and society in classical Greek political thought'

The course focuses on theories of law and the rule of law in classical Greek political thought. 

We begin with a short introduction to Athenian law and to some of the scholarly controversies surrounding our understanding of the legal system in democratic Athens. This historical background will be useful when we turn to the theoretical discussions of law and the rule of law in Greek political thinkers. The course will proceed chronologically, starting with sophistic theories of law in late fifth century BCE and concluding with Aristotle’s ‘Politics'. We will pay attention both to historical context and philosophical argument, focusing on questions such as: What is law and where does it come from? What does it mean for a political community to have a rule of law? What are the advantages and limitations of law as a form of political rule? What is the relation between popular sovereignty and the authority of the law in a democracy like Athens? 

The course will be taught in English.'