The Rule of Law: Its Virtues and Limits

Sa？etak In this paper, I shall address the important role of the rule of law as an ideal of political morality. I will be outlining the virtues and limits of the rule of law. My central thesis is that the rule of law is crucial for the moral legitimacy of a political system and for an open society, understood in the Popperian sense. Its limits, however, are similar to the limits of positive law in general. Ultimately, the virtues of the rule of law depend on the moral virtues of people and on the moral quality of positive law. In this respect, the benefits of the rule of law ultimately depend on natural moral law and its realization in human affairs