The XXXI IVR World Congress titled “The Rule of Law, Justice and the Future of Democracy” was hosted by the International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy from July 7 to July 12, 2024, at Soongsil University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Among the conference highlights were 125 special workshops, featuring over 1000 scholars presenting their research.
Special Workshop 8: “Legal Philosophy and Legal Practice” was notably organized by members of the ALF project – Bojan Spaić and Julieta Rabanos. This workshop emerged as one of the conference’s largest, accommodating 28 speakers across 6 sessions over three days. It focused on exploring the critical role of legal philosophy and foundational legal principles within legal practice, doctrine, and science. Each day was marked by engaging presentations followed by vibrant discussions that facilitated a rich exchange of ideas and collaborative dialogue among participants.
The speakers and topics of the first day were the following:
- Michał Araszkiewicz (Jagiellonian University) presented on “Semantic Representation of Legal Provisions”.
- Eric Boot (Amsterdam Law School) discussed “Roles and Whistleblowing Lawyers – Taking the Role of Morality (Not Too) Seriously,” a joint work with Justin Bernstein (VU Amsterdam).
- Antonia Waltermann (Maastricht University) and Sascha Hardt (Montesquieu Institute) explored “The Impact of a Foreign Language on (Moral and) Legal Decisions”, a collaborative project with Susanne Brouwer & Alice Foucart.
- Mathieu Carpentier (University of Toulouse) addressed “Quid ius or quid iuris? Legal Philosophy and Law-Ascertainment Practices”.
- Monika Zalewska (University of Lodz) delved into “Hans Kelsen contra Carl Schmitt – the Case of Political Change in Poland in the Years 2015-2024”.
- Luis Pereira Coutinho (University of Lisbon) examined “Constitutional Concepts and the Perspective of Constitutionalism”.
- Miodrag Jovanović (University of Belgrade) discussed “Towards a Comprehensive Methodology of Legal Scholarship”.
- During the second day of the ALF special workshop, the following 6 speakers presented in 2 sessions:
- Michele Ubertone (Maastricht University) on “Epistemic Constitutionalism”.
- Pablo Rapetti (ITAM, Mexico) tackled “Acceptance, Detached Legal Statements, and Practical Reason”.
- Julieta Rabanos (University of Belgrade) considered “Legal Philosophy in the Face of Contemporary Challenges to Authority”.
- Yahya Berkol Gülgeç (Bursa Uludağ University) on “The Individuation of Norms and the Form(s) of Judicial Annulment”.
- Sara Azevedo (University of Lisbon) presented “What is Retroactivity?”.
- Viktor Carlsson (Uppsala University) focused on “On the Duty to Decide”.
- Alexander Stachurski, Michał Rachalski & Tadeusz Zbiegień (Jagiellonian University) introduced “Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Approach To The Abuse of Pre-Trial Detention in Poland”.
- 周洲 Zhou Zhou (China University of Political Science and Law) critiqued “The Normativity of Law on the Paradigm of Analytical Jurisprudence”.
The final day of the special workshop accommodated variety of interesting topics delivered by the following participants:
- Ana Zdravković and Bojan Spaić (University of Belgrade) on “Defeasibility – An Impediment or an Account for Absolute Human Rights?”.
- Piero Mattei-Gentili (Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) on “Mind the Gap. Between Rule-Following and Law Application”.
- Pedro Moniz Lopes (University of Lisbon) explored “Analogy: An Ecotone for Theory and Practice”.
- Luca Malagoli (University of Genoa) presented “A Stream of Investigations into the Facts of Law. Olivecrona, Llewellyn and the Concept of Law”.
- Mila Đorđević (University of Belgrade) discussed “Knowledge of Law as a Precondition of Access to Justice: Case of Serbia”.
- Timotej F. Obreza (University of Ljubljana) on “The Composition of Legal Knowledge and the Issue of Practicality”.
- Diego Almonacid-Almarza (University of Genoa) considered “Exploring Legal Mechanisms: Assessing the Efficacy of Legal Rules”.
- Wojciech Rzepiński (Adam Mickiewicz University) analyzed “The Practice of Applying Law as a Paradigmatic Legal Practice”.
This special workshop not only highlighted the interconnectedness of legal philosophy with practical law but also underscored the ongoing importance of philosophical underpinnings in shaping legal practices and doctrines globally.
