This paper presents an analysis of the ethics of vigilantism through the lens of the Rule of Law. For clarity’s sake, the paper sets aside borderline cases and adjacent practices just as terrorism, doxing, and political assassinations in order to focus on classical vigilantism: the unauthorized use of violent force by a civilian to punish or prevent wrongdoing in community-minded pursuit of justice. The paper examines the prima facie defense of vigilantism to be found in the sense that true vigilantes seek to uphold the Rule of Law by, temporarily, ignoring the Rule of Law. It then examines formal, procedural, and substantive elements of the Rule of Law in order to attempt to help differentiate justified from unjustified instances of vigilantism.

The philosophical literature on vigilantism as such, and on the ethics of vigilantism in particular, is remarkably meager: published papers and book chapters number in the single digits. Notable examples include work by Travis Dumsday ¹ Open footnote #1 1 Footnote #1 content: See generally Trevor Dumsday, On Cheering Charles Bronson: The Ethics of Vigilantism, 47 S. J. OF PHIL. 49 (2009). close and a volume called Batman and Ethics by Thomas White. ² Open footnote #2 2 Footnote #2 content: See generally MARK D. WHITE, BATMAN AND ETHICS (2019). close There is, of course, a vast social scientific literature on vigilantism, seeking to define vigilantism, categorize examples and subtypes, and explain its causes and ramifications

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