Alexander of Aphrodisias and the Naturalness of Justice (Mantissa 19): an Attack against Epicurus?

Mantissa 191 deals with a canonical theme of the reflection of Hellenistic philosophy – Stoic but also Epicurean, that of the existence or non-existence of natural justice. As is often the case, here, too, ‘Alexander’ of Aphrodisias tackles a crucial issue of that time by moving within strictly Aristotelian coordinates. Generally the polemic is against the Stoics, who share with Aristotle the thesis according to which justice is by nature, maintaining though that positive laws derive force and efficacy (vis) from a single eternal law, which is identified with divine rationality itself. However, as I will try to show, a part of Mantissa 19 seems instead to attack the Epicurean thesis of social coexistence as conventional. At the same time, we seem to be able to detect an Epicurean influence in Alexander’s own treatment of justice