Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus
Encyclopedia
"Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus" is a Latin
phrase. It means: “Let there be justice, though the world perish.”
It was the motto of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
, probably originating from Philipp Melanchthon
's 1521 book Loci Communes
, and it characterizes an attitude, which wants to provide justice at any price. It is actually about half a century older than its first documented use in English literature.
A famous use is by Immanuel Kant
, in his 1795 Perpetual Peace
(Zum ewigen Frieden. Ein philosophischer Entwurf.), to summarize the counter-utilitarian nature of his moral philosophy, in the form Fiat iustitia, pereat mundus, which he paraphrases as "Let justice reign even if all the rascals in the world should perish from it".
The phrase has not been traced to Classical Rome and may first appear in Philipp Melanchthon
's 1521 book Loci Communes.
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
phrase. It means: “Let there be justice, though the world perish.”
It was the motto of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand I was Holy Roman Emperor from 1558 and king of Bohemia and Hungary from 1526 until his death. Before his accession, he ruled the Austrian hereditary lands of the Habsburgs in the name of his elder brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.The key events during his reign were the contest...
, probably originating from Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...
's 1521 book Loci Communes
Loci Communes
Loci Communes or Loci communes rerum theologicarum seu hypotyposes theologicae was a work by the Lutheran theologian Philipp Melancthon published in 1521...
, and it characterizes an attitude, which wants to provide justice at any price. It is actually about half a century older than its first documented use in English literature.
A famous use is by Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
, in his 1795 Perpetual Peace
Perpetual peace
Perpetual peace refers to a state of affairs where peace is permanently established over a certain area .Many would-be world conquerors have promised that their rule would enforce perpetual peace...
(Zum ewigen Frieden. Ein philosophischer Entwurf.), to summarize the counter-utilitarian nature of his moral philosophy, in the form Fiat iustitia, pereat mundus, which he paraphrases as "Let justice reign even if all the rascals in the world should perish from it".
The phrase has not been traced to Classical Rome and may first appear in Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...
's 1521 book Loci Communes.