"Justice... is a kind of compact not to harm or be harmed"
About this Quote
Epicurus strips justice of its incense and ceremonial robes and hands it back as a practical safety device. Calling it a "compact" is doing the real work: justice isn’t cosmic, sacred, or written into the furniture of the universe. It’s negotiated. It’s a deal people make because getting stabbed, cheated, or exiled is bad for your peace of mind, and Epicurus is relentlessly interested in peace of mind.
The ellipsis matters, too. Epicurus is compressing a larger argument: in his ethics, the goal is ataraxia, a steadiness free from fear and unnecessary pain. Justice becomes instrumental to that goal, not a separate moral altar where you must sacrifice your desires. The subtext is quietly anti-heroic. He’s pushing back against honor cultures and grand political moralizing by suggesting that what we call virtue often begins as mutual self-interest. Don’t hurt me, I won’t hurt you. Everything else is ornament.
Context sharpens the edge. Living in the churn after Alexander, amid unstable city-states and shifting power, Epicurus distrusted the drama of public life. His philosophy retreats to the scale of friendships, gardens, and manageable agreements. That’s why "not to harm or be harmed" lands like a minimalist constitution: justice is whatever reliably reduces threat and retaliation in a community.
It also smuggles in a revisionist standard: if the compact stops serving its purpose, it stops being justice. That’s a destabilizing idea for any regime claiming divine legitimacy. Epicurus doesn’t ask whether a law is noble; he asks whether it keeps people from living in fear.
The ellipsis matters, too. Epicurus is compressing a larger argument: in his ethics, the goal is ataraxia, a steadiness free from fear and unnecessary pain. Justice becomes instrumental to that goal, not a separate moral altar where you must sacrifice your desires. The subtext is quietly anti-heroic. He’s pushing back against honor cultures and grand political moralizing by suggesting that what we call virtue often begins as mutual self-interest. Don’t hurt me, I won’t hurt you. Everything else is ornament.
Context sharpens the edge. Living in the churn after Alexander, amid unstable city-states and shifting power, Epicurus distrusted the drama of public life. His philosophy retreats to the scale of friendships, gardens, and manageable agreements. That’s why "not to harm or be harmed" lands like a minimalist constitution: justice is whatever reliably reduces threat and retaliation in a community.
It also smuggles in a revisionist standard: if the compact stops serving its purpose, it stops being justice. That’s a destabilizing idea for any regime claiming divine legitimacy. Epicurus doesn’t ask whether a law is noble; he asks whether it keeps people from living in fear.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
|---|---|
| Source | Epicurus — often quoted as "Justice is a compact not to harm or be harmed." (attributed via Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Book X); see Wikiquote entry. |
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