Methodology of Criminal Law Theory: Art, Politics or Science?

Prof. Dr. Shin Matsuzawa; Prof. Kimmo Nuotio

doi:10.5771/9783748904755

Summary

This book discusses whether criminal law theory, or in more general terms, general law theory can be regarded as a branch of science. The issues addressed in this book are following: Is the criminal law scholarship which obviously informs the legal system itself a form of science, and in what sense? Can there be systemic developments in criminal law theory?The issues concerning the nature of the knowledge of criminal law in the core areas of the field are of course closely linked with issues concerning what legal science is more generally about. A reflective discussion in the field of criminal law on these issues may contribute to the general discussions in legal theory, and also it serves the interest of understanding where criminal law theory stands when legal research is increasingly faced with challenges of interdisciplinarity. With contributions byPetter Asp, Thomas Elholm, Liang Genlin, Luís Greco, Eric Hilgendorf, Jørn Jacobsen, Heike Jung, Massimiliano Lanzi, Shin Matsuzawa, Kimmo Nuotio and Michael Pawlik.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2021
ISBN-Print: 978-3-8487-6377-1
ISBN-Online: 978-3-7489-0475-5
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Series: Studien zur Strafrechtstheorie und Strafrechtsethik
Volume: 4
Language: English
Pages: 235
Product type: Edited Book

Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis No access Pages 1 - 8
Shin Matsuzawa
1. I. Foreword No access Shin Matsuzawa
2. Shin Matsuzawa
  1. 1. Characteristics of Legal Dogmatics of Criminal Law in Germany No access Shin Matsuzawa
  2. 2. Characteristics of legal dogmatics of criminal law in Japan No access Shin Matsuzawa
  3. 3. Appropriateness of normative construction of legal dogmatics of criminal law No access Shin Matsuzawa
  4. 4. Orientation towards a more scientific dogmatic of criminal law No access Shin Matsuzawa
3. Shin Matsuzawa
  1. 1. Pre-War: Positivism No access Shin Matsuzawa
  2. 2. Post-War: Empirical studies of law No access Shin Matsuzawa
  3. Shin Matsuzawa
    1. (1) Introduction No access Shin Matsuzawa
    2. Shin Matsuzawa
      1. (i) Uppsala school No access Shin Matsuzawa
      2. (ii) Alf Ross No access Shin Matsuzawa
  4. Shin Matsuzawa
    1. (1) Ross theory: The concept of valid law and prediction theory No access Shin Matsuzawa
    2. (2) Method of conceptual structure by Waaben: Criticism of German methodology No access Shin Matsuzawa
    3. (3) Application by the author No access Shin Matsuzawa
4. Shin Matsuzawa
  1. 1. Introduction No access Shin Matsuzawa
  2. 2. Is valid law only applicable to thought process of judges? No access Shin Matsuzawa
  3. 3. Can predictions be proven true or false? No access Shin Matsuzawa
  4. 4. Judges subjected to prediction react to the situation: Can there be science in such a relationship? No access Shin Matsuzawa
  5. 5. Distinction between legal dogmatics and legal politics No access Shin Matsuzawa
  6. 6. Would it not be an obstacle to nurturing students and jurists capable of external criticism? No access Shin Matsuzawa
  7. 7. What are the features of judges' thought process? No access Shin Matsuzawa
  8. 8. Conclusion No access Shin Matsuzawa
5. Shin Matsuzawa
  1. 1. Methodology for extraction of theory No access Shin Matsuzawa
  2. 2. Method of theoretical structuring No access Shin Matsuzawa
6. Shin Matsuzawa
  1. 1. Foundation of legal politics of criminal law No access Shin Matsuzawa
  2. 2. Function of creation of law by judges and legal politics of criminal law No access Shin Matsuzawa
  3. 3. On the definition of logic No access Shin Matsuzawa
7. VII. Conclusion No access Shin Matsuzawa
Petter Asp
1. [Introduction] No access Petter Asp
2. [Law is Janus-faced] No access Petter Asp
3. [Rules and principles] No access Petter Asp
4. [Constructing the law or just working with the materials] No access Petter Asp
5. [Rules, principles and the actors of the legal system] No access Petter Asp
6. [The system and its ability to determine what judges do] No access Petter Asp
7. [The Meta-Norms on the Sources of Law adds to the Openness] No access Petter Asp
8. [Concluding remarks] No access Petter Asp
Thomas Elholm
1. Introduction No access Thomas Elholm
2. Highlighting the differences No access Thomas Elholm
3. Alf Ross and the concept of valid law No access Thomas Elholm
4. The separation between dogmatics and politics No access Thomas Elholm
5. Asp vs Matsuzawa – do they agree in the end? No access Thomas Elholm
6. Hypothesis 1: A normative approach can be equivalent to a study of the thought processes of judges No access Thomas Elholm
7. Hypothesis 2: Value judgments are necessary for judges No access Thomas Elholm
8. Hypothesis 3 – Both approaches are beneficial to society No access Thomas Elholm
9. There is Nothing New under the Sun? No access Thomas Elholm
10. Conclusion No access Thomas Elholm
Kimmo Nuotio
1. 1. The Finnish entrance point No access Kimmo Nuotio
2. 2. Criminal law as a science No access Kimmo Nuotio
3. 3. One step back towards a normative understanding of criminal law No access Kimmo Nuotio
4. 4. Where to go next? No access Kimmo Nuotio
Jørn Jacobsen
1. 1 Introduction No access Jørn Jacobsen
2. 2 Aim and Actuality No access Jørn Jacobsen
3. 3 Starting Point: The Concept of Science No access Jørn Jacobsen
4. 4 Engaging the Concept of Law No access Jørn Jacobsen
5. 5 More on Legal Doctrine’ Justification Challenge No access Jørn Jacobsen
6. 6 Solving the Justification challenge No access Jørn Jacobsen
7. 7 Epilogue: No Farewell to Criminal Law Doctrine No access Jørn Jacobsen
Luís Greco
1. I. The undertaking at issue No access Luís Greco
2. II. Sublime German theory? Or: German criminal law scholarship, seen from within No access Luís Greco
3. III. Exemplification: Foundation and limits of the justification of aggressive necessity. Or: A German criminal law essay, seen from within No access Luís Greco
4. IV. Conclusion No access Luís Greco
Eric Hilgendorf
1. Naturalism in Law and Philosophy No access Eric Hilgendorf
2. Historical Links between Law and Science No access Eric Hilgendorf
3. Eric Hilgendorf
  1. Questions of Value in Law No access Eric Hilgendorf
  2. Sociobiological Reasoning in Law? No access Eric Hilgendorf
  3. An Interest-Oriented Concept of Value Foundation No access Eric Hilgendorf
4. Naturalism in Legal Doctrine No access Eric Hilgendorf
5. Eric Hilgendorf
  1. Human Dignity No access Eric Hilgendorf
  2. Causation No access Eric Hilgendorf
6. Eric Hilgendorf
  1. Statutory Interpretation No access Eric Hilgendorf
  2. The Application of Law No access Eric Hilgendorf
7. Conclusion No access Eric Hilgendorf
8. References No access Eric Hilgendorf
Heike Jung
1. I. Why this topic? No access Heike Jung
2. II. From „art“ to science (?): a few glimpses of history No access Heike Jung
3. III. Making sense of „legal science“ No access Heike Jung
4. IV. Some practical consequences No access Heike Jung
5. V. Conclusion No access Heike Jung
Massimiliano Lanzi
1. 0. Introduction. No access Massimiliano Lanzi
2. 1. Just a matter of definition... or isn’t? No access Massimiliano Lanzi
3. 2. The success of the scientific method in Criminal Law Science. No access Massimiliano Lanzi
4. 3. A new puzzle of sources for the Criminal Law. No access Massimiliano Lanzi
5. 4. From objectiveness to case-by-case justice. No access Massimiliano Lanzi
6. 5. The approach of Criminal Law Science to the new legality model. No access Massimiliano Lanzi
Liang Genlin
1. Introduction No access Liang Genlin
2. I. Learning from Soviet Union: Main Points of the "Four Constituents" Theory of Crime Construction No access Liang Genlin
3. Liang Genlin
  1. 1. Construction of Three-Layered Structure of Crime of Professor Chen Xingliang No access Liang Genlin
  2. 2. Construction of Two-Layered Structure of Crime of Professor Zhang Mingkai No access Liang Genlin
4. III. Preservation and Improvement of the “Four Constituents” Theory No access Liang Genlin
5. IV. The Doctrine of Modification Between Preservation and Reconstruction No access Liang Genlin
6. Liang Genlin
  1. 1. Ambiguity of the Step-Up Level Theory as Reference Model No access Liang Genlin
  2. 2. Preference for Theory Restricted by the Educational Background of Scholars No access Liang Genlin
  3. 3. Influence of Personal Value Concept and Individualized Research Style of Scholars No access Liang Genlin
  4. 4. Lack of Thorough Understanding of German and Japanese Criminal Law Theories No access Liang Genlin
  5. 5. Lack of Adjustment to Theory and Practice in China No access Liang Genlin
Michael Pawlik
1. I. The Autonomy of Legal Discourse and Its Limits No access Michael Pawlik
2. II. Is the General Theory of Crime a Scientific Discipline? No access Michael Pawlik
3. III. The Affinity of the General Theory of Crime with Philosophy No access Michael Pawlik
4. IV. A Glance Back at the History of Ideas (1): The Self-Conception and Practice of the General Theory of Crime No access Michael Pawlik
5. V. A Glance Back at the History of Ideas (2): The Contribution of Philosophy to the General Theory of Crime No access Michael Pawlik
6. VI. The Task of Today’s General Theory of Crime No access Michael Pawlik
List of Contributors No access Pages 235 - 235