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Justifying legal decisions in hard cases: a Whiteheadian perspective

Justifying legal decisions in hard cases: a Whiteheadian perspective
Justifying legal decisions in hard cases: a Whiteheadian perspective
This paper examines legal reasoning from a process point of view; that is, it seeks to demonstrate how Whitehead’s thinking can be applied to legal decision making to bring to light its underlying processual nature. I begin by identifying a way of looking at law and legal problems that centers on the relation of particulars and universals, focusing on the problem of finding justifying reasons for legal decisions in hard cases. The difficulties involved in attempting to articulate the legal decision-making experience in this way are well documented in contemporary literature, being variously described as ‘the particularity void’, ‘the aporia’, ‘the phronetic gap’. In light of a discussion of these difficulties I utilize a mainly Whiteheadian approach to question the ontological and epistemological assumptions of the institutional theory of law (MacCormick) and attempt to re-present law and legal reasoning in process terms. I suggest that such a repositioning of law within a processual world-view allows a better understanding of the dynamic between institutions and practices (MacIntyre) and provides a more adequate description of the nature of law and legal reasoning; in particular, how a legal decision is created, maintained and employed within the decision making system.
MacLean, James
7ecb7975-746f-4806-9c4f-43efe3527980
MacLean, James
7ecb7975-746f-4806-9c4f-43efe3527980

MacLean, James (2006) Justifying legal decisions in hard cases: a Whiteheadian perspective. 6th International Whitehead Conference, Salzburg, Austria. 02 - 05 Jul 2006. 12 pp .

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

This paper examines legal reasoning from a process point of view; that is, it seeks to demonstrate how Whitehead’s thinking can be applied to legal decision making to bring to light its underlying processual nature. I begin by identifying a way of looking at law and legal problems that centers on the relation of particulars and universals, focusing on the problem of finding justifying reasons for legal decisions in hard cases. The difficulties involved in attempting to articulate the legal decision-making experience in this way are well documented in contemporary literature, being variously described as ‘the particularity void’, ‘the aporia’, ‘the phronetic gap’. In light of a discussion of these difficulties I utilize a mainly Whiteheadian approach to question the ontological and epistemological assumptions of the institutional theory of law (MacCormick) and attempt to re-present law and legal reasoning in process terms. I suggest that such a repositioning of law within a processual world-view allows a better understanding of the dynamic between institutions and practices (MacIntyre) and provides a more adequate description of the nature of law and legal reasoning; in particular, how a legal decision is created, maintained and employed within the decision making system.

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More information

Published date: July 2006
Venue - Dates: 6th International Whitehead Conference, Salzburg, Austria, 2006-07-02 - 2006-07-05
Organisations: Southampton Law School

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Local EPrints ID: 200781
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/200781
PURE UUID: 18e9f8cf-5cf4-40b5-af16-2241ade67f04

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Date deposited: 02 Nov 2011 15:25
Last modified: 10 Dec 2021 19:47

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Contributors

Author: James MacLean

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