AUC IURIDICA
AUC IURIDICA

Acta Universitatis Carolinae Iuridica (AUC Iuridica) is a legal journal published since 1955, which presents longer essays as well as short articles on topics relevant for legal theory and international, European and Czech law. It also publishes works concerning current legislative problems.

Although intended primarily for domestic audience, AUC Iuridica is useful also for foreign experts, who can take advantage of summaries in foreign languages (English, German and French) and key words, which are systematically added to the main articles and essays.

The published articles are subject to peer reviews. If necessary, reviewed texts are sent back to the author for revision.

AUC Iuridica accepts contributions from any contributor on any current legal topic.

The journal is registered in the Czech National Bibliography (kept by the National Library of the Czech Republic) and in the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals (kept by the American Association of Law Libraries).

The journal is archived in Portico.

–––

We are pleased to inform you that the journal Acta Universitatis Carolinae Iuridica was the first journal of the Faculty of Law of Charles University to be included in the prestigious international database SCOPUS. This Elsevier database is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature in the world. The editors of the journal expect from the inclusion in the elite SCOPUS database not only an increase in the readership of the journal, but also an increase in interest in the publication of papers by both Czech and foreign authors.

AUC IURIDICA, Vol 65 No 4 (2019), 69–88

K roli abdukce v právním myšlení aneb jak poznatky o abdukci mohou zvýšit pro-systémovost interpretace a aplikace práva

[On Abduction in Legal Thinking or How Knowledge of Abduction Can Increase Pro-systemic Legal Interpretation and Application]

Katarzyna Žák Krzyžanková

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/23366478.2019.40
published online: 14. 11. 2019

abstract

The paper deals with the issue of abduction. First of all, the paper presents the development of the concept of abduction in the work of Charles S. Peirce, who was the first in modern history to examine abduction and suggested its two partially different concepts; namely abduction as one of the basic types of logical inferences, and – later – as a necessary stage in any process of creating new hypotheses or theories explaining a certain phenomenon, where abduction allows to generate explanatory hypotheses and to choose from possible explanations that appear to be the most appropriate in the given case. The catalogue of criteria that, according to Peirce and his followers, make it easier to select the best explanatory hypothesis is also presented. Attention is paid to Peirce’s consideration about the nature of human abduction reasoning. The analysis is supplemented by introduction of two basic directions in contemporary research in this field. In the second part, the paper identifies the basic types of cases which we encounter with abductive reasoning in legal thinking. Particular attention is paid to its use in practical thinking, namely situations where abduction reasoning contributes to finding a causal explanation of a certain legal-relevant phenomenon, to a legal assessment of the facts and to the formulation of an interpretative conclusion of an unclear provision. It is considered how the criteria determining the selection of the explanatory hypothesis, as well as knowledge of abduction itself, can contribute to pro-systemic legal interpretation and application, thus helping to reduce irrationality and arbitrariness of these processes. In examining this issue, one of the main problems of contemporary legal science and practice is identified, namely the absence of sufficient interpretative rules regulating conflicts between interpretative conclusions obtained on the basis of various interpretative methods.

keywords: abduction; inference to the best explanation; Ch. S. Peirce; G. Harman; criteria for choosing the best explanation; systematism; legal decision making

references (20)

1. ARISTOTELES Metafyzika. Praha: Rezek, 2003

2. BREWER, S.: From Enthymeme to Argument: Logocratic Method and the Virtues and Vices of Arguments. In: WEINSTEIN, J. B. - ABRAMS, N. - BREWER, S. - MEDWED, D. S.: Evidence. Cases and Materials. 10th Edition. St. Paul, MN: Foundation Press, 2017, s. 121-147

3. Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce [online, cit. 2019-01-16]. Dostupné na: <https://colorysemiotica.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/peirce-collectedpapers.pdf>.

4. DOUVEN, I. Abduction. In: ZALTA, E. N. (ed.) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Summer 2017 Edition [online]. 28.04.2017 [cit. 2019-01-16]. Dostupné na: <https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/abduction/>

5. DOYLE, A. C. The Adventure of Silver Blaze. [online, cit. 2019-01-16]. Dostupné na: <file:///H:/Downloads/the-memoirs-of-sherlock-holmes-001-adventure-1-silver-blaze.pdf>

6. FRANKFUR, H. G. Peirce's Notion of Abduction. The Journal of Philosophy. Columbia University, Vol. 55, no. 14 (Jul. 3, 1958), s. 593-597 CrossRef

7. GOŁBA, F. - PIĘKOŚ, P. - TURKOWSKI, P. Logika dla prawników. Warszawa: C. H. Beck, 2012

8. HOLLÄNDER, P. Filosofie práva. 2. rozšířené vydání. Praha: Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, 2012

9. KNAPP, V. - GERLOCH, A. Logika v právním myšlení. Praha: EurolexBohemia, 2001

10. LANG, W. - WRÓBLEWSKI, J. - ZAWADZKI, S.: Teoria państwa i prawa. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1976

11. MILL, J . S. A System of Logic Ratiocinative and Inductive. (Editováno J. M. Robsonem). Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1973

12. NUBIOLA, J. Abduction ort he logic of surprise. Semiotica. Journal of the International Association for Semiotic Studies . Berlin - Boston: De Gruyter, vol. 2005, issue 153-1/4, s. 117-130 CrossRef

13. Ottův slovní naučný. Ilustrovaná encyklopedie obecných vědomostí. První díl. A - Alpy. Praha: Paseka - Argo, 1996

14. PEIRCE, CH. S. Deduction, Induction, and Hypothesis. Illustrations of the Logic of Science VI. Popular Science Monthly. New York: D. Appleton and Co., vol. 13, August 1878 , s. 470-482

15. PERCY, W. The divided creature. The Wilson Quarterly. Washington, D. C.: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1989, no 13, s. 77-87

16. POPPER, K. Objective Knowledge: An Evolutionary Approach. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972

17. REICHENBACH, H. Experience and Prediction: An Analysis of the Foundations and the Structure of Knowledge. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961

18. RUSSELL, B. Wisdom of the West. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1959.

19. SINNOT ARMSTRONG, W. - FOGELIN, R. Understanding Arguments. An Introduction to Informal Logic. 9th Edition. Cengage Learning, 2015

20. STELMACH, J. - BROŻEK, B. Metody prawnicze. Kraków: Zakamycze, 2004

Creative Commons License
K roli abdukce v právním myšlení aneb jak poznatky o abdukci mohou zvýšit pro-systémovost interpretace a aplikace práva is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

230 x 157 mm
periodicity: 4 x per year
print price: 65 czk
ISSN: 0323-0619
E-ISSN: 2336-6478

Download