Acta Universitatis Carolinae Iuridica (AUCI) is the main journal of the Faculty of Law of Charles University. It has been published since 1954 and is one of the traditional law journals with a theoretical focus.
As a general law journal, it publishes longer studies and shorter articles on any relevant issues in legal theory and international, European and national law. AUCI also publishes material relating to current legislative issues. AUCI is a peer-reviewed journal and accepts submissions from both Czech and international authors. Contributions by foreign authors are published in their original language – Slovak, English, German, French.
AUCI is a theoretical journal for questions of state and law. It is published by Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Law, through Karolinum Press. It is published four times a year, the dates of publication can be found here.
Articles published in AUCI undergo an independent peer review process, which is anonymous on both sides. Reviewers from the field give their opinion on the scientific quality of the paper and the suitability of publication in the journal. In the case of comments, the opinion is sent back to the author with the possibility of revising the text (see Guidelines for Authors – Per Review Process for more details).
The AUCI journal (ISSN 0323-0619) 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). AUCI has been assigned a periodical registration number MK E 18585.
In 2021 the journal AUCI 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.
AUCI is an open journal and all its content is published both on the faculty website and on the Karolinum Press website. Access to it is free of charge. The homepage of AUCI is on the Karolinum Press website.
The AUCI journal uses the Creative Commons license: CC BY 4.0.
Long-term archiving of the digital content of the journal is provided by Portico.
AUC IURIDICA, Vol 70 No 4 (2024), 11–30
In Search of the Functions of the Legal System: Axiomatic and Methodological Stages
Mario Krešić
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/23366478.2024.157
published online: 28. 11. 2024
abstract
The theory of artifacts can be understood as primarily focusing on function when counting something as an artifact. With that starting point, projects aimed at the identification of the function of law contribute to arguments about categorizing law as an artifact. The purpose of this study is to highlight the challenges of this endeavor. Before beginning with search for law-functions, questions about the postulates on the relations between an artifact, law, and function (axiomatic stage) have to be addressed and the proper methodological approach must be found which is capable of addressing the contingency problem (methodological stage).
keywords: artifact; legal system; function; essentialism; conventionalism; minimum content of law
references (40)
1. BAKER, R. L. The Ontology of Artifacts. Philosophical Explorations. 2004, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 99-111. CrossRef
2. BURAZIN, L. Law as an Artifact. In: SELLERS, M. - KIRSTE, S. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Dordrecht: Springer, 2019, pp. 1-6. CrossRef
3. BURAZIN, L. Legal systems, intentionality, and a functional explanation of law. Jurisprudence. 2019, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 229-236. CrossRef
4. BURAZIN, L. Practical concepts of Law as an artifact. Pravni vjesnik. 2015, Vol. 31, No. 3-4, pp. 65-76.
5. BURAZIN, L. - HIMMA, E. K. - ROVERSI, C. (eds.). Law as an Artifact. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. CrossRef
6. EHRENBERG, K. M. Defending the Possibility of a Neutral Functional Theory of Law. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies. 2009, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 91-113. CrossRef
7. EHRENBERG, K. M. The Functions of Law. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. CrossRef
8. HIMMA, K. E. Morality and the Nature of Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. CrossRef
9. HIMMA, K. E. The Conceptual Function of Law: Law, Coercion, and Keeping the Peace. In: BURAZIN, L. - HIMMA, K. E. - ROVERSI, C. (eds.). Law as an Artifact. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018, pp. 136-159. CrossRef
10. HOLM, S. The Problem of Phantom Functions. Erkenntnis. 2017, Vol. 82, No. 1, pp. 233-241. CrossRef
11. HOUKES, W. - VERMAAS, P. E. Actions Versus Functions: A Plea for an Alternative Metaphysics of Artifacts. The Monist. 2004, Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 52-71. CrossRef
12. HOUKES, W. - VERMAAS, P. E. Technical functions: On the Use and design of Artefacts. Dordrecht: Springer, 2010. CrossRef
13. HUGHES, J. An artifact is to use: An introduction to instrumental functions. Synthese. 2009, Vol. 168, No. 1, pp. 179-199. CrossRef
14. JACKSON, F. From Metaphysics to Ethics: A Defence of Conceptual Analysis. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998.
15. JOVANOVIĆ, A. M. The Nature of International Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
16. JUVSHIK, T. Function essentialism about artifacts. Philosophical Studies. 2021, Vol. 178, No. 2, pp. 1-22. CrossRef
17. KANTOROWICZ, H. U. The Definition of Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1958.
18. KREŠIĆ, M. In search of the Functions of the Legal System: Classificatory and Analytical stages. In: BURAZIN, L. - HIMMA, K. E. - ROVERSI, C. - BANAŚ, P. (eds.). The Artifactual Nature of Law. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2022, pp. 47-65.
19. KUHN, T. S. A Function for Thought Experiments. In: KUHN, T. S. The Essential Tension: Selected Studies in Scientific Tradition and Change. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977, pp. 240-265.
20. MILLIKAN, R. G. Language, Thought, and Other Biological Categories: New Foundations for Realism. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1984. CrossRef
21. MILLIKAN, R. G. Wings, Spoons, Pills, and Quills: A Pluralist Theory of Function. The Journal of Philosophy. 1999, Vol. 96, No. 4, pp. 91-206. CrossRef
22. LEITER, B. Legal Positivism about Artifact Law: A Retrospective Assessment. In: BURAZIN, L. - HIMMA, K. E. - ROVERSI, C. (eds.). Law as an Artifact. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018, pp. 11-12. CrossRef
23. OLIVERO, I. Function is not enough. Grazer Philosophische Studien. 2019, Vol. 96, No. 1, pp. 105-129. CrossRef
24. POPPER, K. The Open Society and Its Enemies. London and New York: Routledge, 2011. CrossRef
25. POPPER, K. The Logic of Scientific Discovery. 2nd ed. London and New York: Routledge, 2002.
26. PRESTON, B. Philosophical Theories of Artifact Function. In: MEIJERS, A. (ed.). Philosophy of Ontology and Engineering Sciences. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2009, pp. 213-233. CrossRef
27. PRESTON, B. A Philosophy of Material Culture: Action, Function, and Mind. New York: Routledge, 2013. CrossRef
28. PRESTON, B. Why is a Wing like a Spoon? A Pluralist Theory of Function. The Journal of Philosophy. 1998, Vol. 95, No. 5, pp. 215-254. CrossRef
29. RAZ, J. The Authority of Law: Essays on Law and Morality. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979. CrossRef
30. RORTY, R. Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989. CrossRef
31. ROSS, A. On Law and Justice. New Jersey: The Lawbook Exchange, 2004.
32. SCHAUER, F. Law as a Malleable Artifact. In: BURAZIN, L. - HIMMA, E. K. - ROVERSI, C. (eds.). Law as an Artifact. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018, pp. 29-43. CrossRef
33. Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy [online]. 2022 [cit. 2024-08-13]. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/artifact/.
34. TAMANAHA, B. A General Jurisprudence of Law and Society. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. CrossRef
35. TAMANAHA, B. A Realistic Theory of Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. CrossRef
36. THOMASSON, A. L. Artefacts in Metaphysics. In: MEIJERS, A. (ed.). Philosophy of Ontology and Engineering Sciences. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2009, pp. 191-212. CrossRef
37. THOMASSON, A. L. Public Artefacts, Intentions and Norms. In: FRANSSEN, M. - KROES, P. - REYDON, T. A. C. - VERMAAS, P. E. (eds.). Artifact Kinds: Ontology and the Human-Made World. Dordrecht: Springer, 2014, pp. 57-74.
38. Thought Experiments. In: Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy [online]. 2023 [cit. 2024-08-13]. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/thought-experiment/.
39. TUZET, G. A Strange Kind of Artifact. In: BURAZIN, L. - HIMMA, E. K. - ROVERSI, C. (eds.). Law as an Artifact. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018, p. 238. CrossRef
40. WITTGENSTEIN, L. Philosophical Investigations. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1958.
In Search of the Functions of the Legal System: Axiomatic and Methodological Stages 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
