Abstract
Roman law provides helpful lessons on legal methodology for Romanists and modern
lawyers alike. The meeting of Roman law and Greek philosophy was the catalyst for the
transformation of Roman law into a legal science, in which the axiomatic structure of the norm
was linked to the facts of the case by way of the dialectical syllogism and topical reasoning. The
Romans understood that the barrier that separates law from society is permeable. In this paper,
it is shown that there is a tension within the legal systems between the guidance provided by the
regulae, or legal rules, and the need to allow for open arguments, which are windows on the
outside world enabling the system to grow in line with social developments.