The Historical Position and Contributions of the School of Wise Men in Ancient GreeceWhat are the historical position and contributions of the School of Wise Men in Ancient Greece

1. The School of the Wise men arrived at a series of conclusive views concerning the opposition between nature and law: (1) Once legislation departs from nature, the basis of law can only be found in the interests of the legislator, and the motives and objectives of legislation will thus be divided. (2) Legislation confirms that the relations between men are unequal, but nature requires that all men be equal, and that the distinction between slaves and free men exists only because of law, and does not originate in nature. (3) The abolition of laws is conceivable when the return to the state of nature comes from an intrinsic necessity. The abolition of law is a matter of agreement, and respect for nature is a consequence of nature.

2. Undoubtedly, the Wise Men's school of thought on the dichotomy between nature and law has touched upon the affirmative subject of the theory of rights, and its significance is very great. First of all, the School of the Wise inherited the line of thought of the ancient Greek natural philosophers, who were looking for the "one" in the "many", and tried for the first time to establish a universally valid principle for the political and legal system of the city-state society from the angle of the theory of political value. Secondly, the School of the Wise initially proposed the theory of natural law on the basis of the dichotomy between nature and law. In the history of Western political philosophy, the proposal of this theory had a very far-reaching impact. From the ethical philosophy of the Stoic school to the theocratic political theory of the Middle Ages to the human rights theory of modern times, all the theories related to political justice are related to natural law. Once again, the Wise Men's School called for a breakthrough in the limitations of law, religion, and custom, and attempted to affirm the equal rights of human beings under the laws of nature, thus forming the basic concept of the supremacy of natural law over man-made law. This concept provides an objective value basis for social change and has been preserved as an element of the unity and democratic tradition of Western civilization. Regardless of the way in which present and contemporary political philosophers understand the question of rights, they regard the School of the Wise as their ancient forerunner when it comes to the relationship between nature and law.