Cicero
106-43 BCE
- Opposed to dictatorship. (Julius Caesar)
- Established Justice, equality & fairness in all law.
- Agreed with Aristotle that there should be people representing the public. (democracy!)
Plato
428-348 BCE
- Plato thought that the ideal ruler of society would be a “Philosopher King”.
- He then realized that it would be hard to find such a leader, so there needed to be laws.
Aristotle
384-322 BCE
Believed that:
- If people were unequal, they deserved unequal shares of wealth.
- People need representation.
- Meritocracy
- Student of Plato.
Epicurus
341-270 BCE
Believed that:
- Everyone deserves to be happy.
- Happiness is different for all, therefore laws need to be put into place.
Justinian
483-565 CE
Believed that:
- Laws should be simplified, organized & accessible to society.
- Developed Justinian Code.
- Believed that a common body of laws could help in unifying a group of people. (state, community, etc.)
- The principle that punishment should “match” the crime. (Retributive Justice)
Thomas Aquinas
1225-1274
Believed that:
- Law should be for the common good.
- Didn’t believe laws made people good.
Thomas Hobbes
1588-1679
- Was an Atheist
Believed that:
- Humans are animals.
- We should protect life and property with social contracts.
- We should avoid the idea of natural law (Positive Law)
- Justice is dependent on people’s obedience.
John Locke
1632-1704
- Founded the concept of individual independence and liberty.
- Western world is based off of this thinking.
Jeremy Bentham
1748-1832
- Founded the doctrine of Utilitarianism
- The idea that government should always create the greatest balance of happiness of the majority.
- Designed to determine if a decision was right or wrong according to the benefit of the majority, to measure the utility of it’s use.
- Championed for Animal Rights and equal rights.
- Progressive
Jean Jacques-Rousseau
1712-1778
Believed that:
- Government should make decisions according to the general will of the people.
- Encouraged helping others.
- Vigilante justice might be acceptable, sometimes.
- Eat the rich.
- Persons are born free, but government puts them in irons.
John Austin
1790-1859
- Supporter of Positive Law. (he also created the terminology)
Believed that:
- Ethics and morality should play no part in making a law good or bad.
- Legal norms decide whether a person is just or unjust.
John Stuart Mill
1806-1873
- Utilitarianist.
- Free Speech advocate.
Believed that:
- Laws should be useful in the functioning of society.
- Women and labor unions should be emancipated.