Rule of man

Rule of man (where "man" is used in a genderless manner) is a type of personal rule in an unaccountable society where rules change from ruler to ruler. It is a society in which one person, regime, or a group of persons, rules arbitrarily. While rule of man can be explained as the absence of rule of law, this theoretical understanding results in a paradox. Realism dictates that man and law do not stand apart and that the rules of each are not opposites. Rather law depends deeply on a state composed of men.

On the other hand, as a positive concept, the rule of man, "a man capable of ruling better than the best laws", was championed in ancient Greek philosophy and thinking as early as Plato. The debate between rule of man versus rule of law extends to Plato's student Aristotle, and to Confucius and the Legalists in Chinese philosophy.