Legal Principles Embedded In Tamil Ethical Literature: A Comparative And Critical Study
Dr. S. GothandaramanSep 19, 202610.5281/zenodo.22846414pp. 86–10116 pages
Tamil ethical literature presents a wide range of ideas concerning individual morality, social responsibility, governance, justice, impartiality, punishment, and humanity. These ideas can be examined in relation to the fundamental principles of modern jurisprudence. This study comparatively examines selected verses from Tamil ethical works, including Thirukkural, Naladiyar, Pazhamozhi Nanuru, Athichudi, and Kondraiventhan, in relation to the concepts of the Rule of Law, Justice, the Morality of Law, Government Accountability, Proporti onality, and Social Responsibility. Furthermore, the ethical ideas found in Tamil literature are compared with the legal and philosophical perspectives of H. L. A. Hart, Lon L. Fuller, A. V. Dicey, and John Rawls. The central argument of this study is not that Tamil ethical literature should be treated as modern legal texts. Rather, the ethical ideas expressed in these works can serve as literary sources for understanding the foundations of legal thought, the exercise of authority, and the pursuit of social justice.