It's not merely a negative thing the way I think modern ideas about law, as for instance, represented in the American Constitution are, which is to say, its function is to prevent wrong doing, to punish wrong doing.

我的理解是,这里的法律,不仅仅指当今的法律条款,比如美国宪法所代表的那些内容,也就是,行使防范错误行为,以及惩罚错误行为的职能

耶鲁公开课 - 古希腊历史简介课程节选