Returning to Physis: keys to normativity in Antiphon (On Truth, fr. 44)

Abstract

This paper analyzes fragment 44 of On Truth, considered the most important testimony of the sophistic thought of Antiphon of Athens, in which the well-known dichotomy between nomos (convention) and physis (nature) is presented extensively and explicitly. Although Antiphon has often been interpreted as a radical critic of the law, this study explores, from a legal approach, the possibility of a positive evaluation of nomos, based on its alignment with human nature and other normative features. By examining key passages, it is argued that Antiphon suggests certain criteria for evaluating the correctness of laws, without, however, developing a systematic normative project. In this sense, the reading offered considers his thought not only as an objection to existing legal institutions, but also as a reflection on the conditions laws should meet to be beneficial.