Sources of the idea of the rule of law. Plato's Lesson

Abstract

The rule of law is a term that is currently considered in Western countries to be the basic determinant of properly functioning political organisms. However, in political practice and international relations, the rule of law takes on a disturbingly Protean shape. It is therefore worth reaching back to the sources and asking the basic question: what is the rule of law and in what sense can we speak of it as the foundation of a political community? In our search for an answer, we will reach back to the very roots of Western civilization – to the beginnings of philosophical reflection on the rule of law. The subject of our considerations will be the reflections of Plato, who was the first thinker in history to attempt to formulate and systematically describe the ideal that he called a just state.