Ihar Bortnik. The concept of justice in the socio-political thought of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the second half of the 16th – early 16th centuries

The article is devoted to the identification of the peculiarities of understanding and interpretation of the concept of justice in the socio-political thought of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the period of the second half of the 16th – the beginning of the 16th centuries. Based on the conducted research, it can be argued that the understanding of the concept of justice was formed under the influence of the pan-European humanistic culture. Justice in the socio-political thought of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was understood as a universal value and the highest moral imperative, the source and basis of the stability of the socio-political and legal system. On the other hand, the proper functioning of law and political institutions in accordance with ethical and political virtues was considered as a condition for the implementation of justice in public life. At the same time, in the statements about compliance with moral principles by persons vested with power, a tendency to understand justice as a set of professional abilities and competencies of a government official is traced. The concept of justice was inextricably linked with other ethical and political values, primarily such as freedom and the common good. In this context, the concept of property was asserted as an aspect of freedom, the value of which stems from the general principle of justice. The idea of justice was actively used to substantiate optimal models of social and economic order, inequality and equality in various aspects of social practice and law. Justice served as an ethical criterion for interpreting and evaluating various social phenomena (war, relations between lords and subjects, prices and wages, usury, etc.). The meaning of justice as an important ethical and philosophical category was established mainly at the theoretical level of the political culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, represented by scientific works; at the level of noble political practice, its articulation was of secondary importance compared to other ethical and political values.