Natural Justice and Loyalty to the Legislator in Aristotle’s Theory of Equity
Abstract
Scholars have two opposing points of view regarding Aristotle’s theory of equity (epieikeia). Some claim that equity is better than legal justice (nomikos) as it identifies with natural justice (physikos). Others hold that the only criterion for correcting the law is to settle the case according to what “the legislator would have said if he had been present there”. I shall focus on that discussion to hold two claims. Firstly, by studying Nicomachean Ethics (V.10) and Rhetoric (I.13.3), I aim to assess those two points of view and demonstrate that it is possible to find a point of consensus between them. In my opinion, Aristotle does not reject that natural justice, understood as the substantive values of the polis, takes part in the act of judging a case, nor does he assert that judges only must replicate the legislative will. On the contrary, we shall see that, within the equity process, natural justice has a fundamental role, as that expresses the basic practical principles considered by the legislator in his piece of work. Secondly, I shall explain how the judge applies natural justice and the legislator's intent to deal with exceptional cases that defy the statutory law.
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