The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that in Measure for Measure there are two different epistemological systems, the church and the state, underlying everyday discourse. The characters of the play choose alternately either of them at their own discretion to assert or defend themselves -this is the main cause of disorder in the society, because the two systems are essentially contradictory in nature. Conscious of his identity as head of the church as well as the state, the ruler cannot but be lenient to the violation of secular laws, while the ruled, appropriating the logic of both systems for their own benefit, become intractable. The solution to this problem should be an overdetermined one, incorporating both systems in a complementary way. This can offer an explanation for the controversies over the play including its lack of coherence.