Heavily Accented Philosophy of Law

• Episode 9 - Responsibility for Negligence in Ethics and Law (ft. Veronica Rodriguez-Blanco)

  In this episode, we delve into the debate about responsibility for negligence in ethics and law. What is exactly “responsibility”? What does responsibility involve, and it is the same across disciplines? How ancient and medieval moral psychology might (or should) inform contemporarylegal theory about these topics? What about specific types of responsibility, such as responsibility for negligence? Veronica Rodriguez-Blanco discuss with us why responsibility is a cornerstone notion in ethics and law, and what is the importance and interest of focusing specifically on responsibility for negligence. We explore first a proposal of reconstruction of this latter notion elaborated by Rodriguez-Blanco, considering the intersection of ancient and contemporary philosophy of action, theories of practical reason, and private law theory. We then analyse the key difference between a “bifurcation model” and an “Aristotelian-inspired model” of deliberation, and how the notion of “akrasia” might illuminate the phenomenon of negligence.Veronica Rodriguez-Blanco is the inaugural holder of the Chair of Moral and Political Philosophy (Jurisprudence) in the School of Law, University of Surrey and member of the Surrey Centre for Law and Philosophy. She studied law at Oxford University (MJur, Balliol College) and legal philosophy at the University of Cambridge (PhD, Corpus Christi College). Her research is located at the intersection of practical reason, philosophy of action and law. She draws insights from ancient, medieval and contemporary moral psychology and action theory to illuminate the nature of private law, legal authority and normativity. Further details on her current research can be found here. Rodriguez-Blanco’s research has been published in leading journals, and coedited co-editor of Agency, Negligence and Responsibility (CUP, 2021), Dignity in the Legal and Political Philosophy of Ronald Dworkin (OUP, 2018), Reasons and Intentions in Law and Practical Agency (CUP, 2015) . She is the author of two main monographs: Law and Authority Under the Guise of the Good (Hart/Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014, 2017), where she argues that the understanding of thestructure of practical reason sheds light on legal authority and normativity; and, for the main interest of the listeners of this episode, the very recent Responsibilityfor Negligence in Ethics and Law. Aspiration, Perspective, and Civic Maturity (Oxford University Press, 2025).[This episode was hosted by Julieta Rabanos and Bojan Spaić; edited by Bojan Spaić; uploaded and formatted by Julieta Rabanos]

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• Episode 8 - Legal validity and concept-construction methodology (fr. Mathieu Carpentier)

  In this episode, we delve into the debate about legal validity and concept-construction methodology. What is exactly legal validity? What would be the most adequate way to construct a concept of legal validity? How is the idea of cluster concepts important for this debate? Do theoretical or conceptual distinctions have any practical relevance? Mathieu Carpentier discussed with us why legal validity is a key concept for legal theory and why it is better understood as a cluster concept, broken down into more elementary units of meaning. We explore first how – and why – acluster concept-construction methodology is more useful than other methodologies and then explore in-depth the elementary units Carpentier identify related to the concept of legal validity, as well as the internal relations among theseunits. Finally, touch upon the impact of all of these on the definition of the rule of recognition, and the relevance of this discussion and distinctions to legal positivism (including the inclusive and exclusive legal positivism debate).Mathieu Carpentier is a Professor of Public Lawat the University of Toulouse Capitole and a Fellow of the Institut universitaire de France. He works on various issues in legal philosophy as well as constitutional law and theory and comparative constitutional law. His PhD thesis was devoted to legal defeasibility (it was published in French in 2014).He recently edited a book called “Meta-Theory of Law” (ISTE/Wiley, 2022). He has written around 50 papers in French and English.  Listeners wanting to dive deeper in his work on legalvalidity, concept-construction and the methodology of jurisprudence can check some of his papers on SSRN: Sources and Validity (2018), Validity and Applicability: A Small Dose of Scepticism(2018), Kelsen on Derogation and Normative Conflicts (2020), Sources of Law (with Torben Spaak, 2024), Against “Legal Facts” (forthcoming 2025). French readers may also consult his Problèmes relatifs à l'identification temporelle des systèmesjuridiques (2023) and Controverses sur la “nature” du droit (2018).  [This episode was hosted by Julieta Rabanos and Bojan Spaić; edited by Bojan Spaić; uploaded and formatted by Julieta Rabanos] (00:00:00) Intro HAPL(00:00:16) Introduction to the episode – hosts and guest(00:01:30) Mathieu Carpentier – Academic Genealogy and Research Interests(00:06:24) Legal Theory and Philosophy in France(00:19:05) Legal Validity – Concept, Classical View, Importance for Legal Theory and Philosophy(00:27:49) Legal Validity & Adequate Methodology of Concept-Construction(00:32:50) Legal Validity as a Cluster Concept(00:40:21) Legal Validity and its Units of Meaning (an Introduction)(00:55:50) Legal Validity and the Concept of Legal System(01:00:58) Legal Validity and its Units of Meaning – On Efficacy and Relation between Units(01:09:24) Legal Validity and the Rule of Recognition(01:21:31) Adequate Methodology of Conceptual Analysis and Concept-Construction(01:30:22) Farewell and last words(01:32:49) Outro HAPL

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• Episode 7 - The debate on rules & principles, genericity and categorisation (fr. Pedro Moniz Lopes)

  In this episode, we delve into the debate on rules and principles, the topic of law and categorisation, and the connection between equality (and analogy). Why the obsession in philosophy of law with the rules/principles debate? Is the distinction purely definitional or also substantial? How is the element of genericity – not generality - important for the debate? Does equality have something to do here? And analogy? Pedro Moniz Lopes discusses with us why the distinction between rules and principles is better understood as a strong distinction, different of the kind proposed by Robert Alexy. This strong distinction is based on the key criterion of genericity – that is, based on the specificity of the action that is being governed by the norm. We explore how categorisation might not be purely didactical or pedagogical and its role in allowing us to anticipate the way entities behave in reality, the possible parallels between principles in law and causal forces in the natural world in regards to explanation, how equality factors in the discussion regarding genericity and principles, and how analogy enters the picture.   Pedro Moniz Lopes is an Assistant Professor of Legal Philosophy and Constitutional Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Lisbon. He co-heads “Lisbon Legal Theory” and is a Senior Fellow of the Lisbon Public Law Research Centre in which he coordinates research activities in the field legal theory and legal philosophy.  Pedro has also been the Executive Director of e-Publica – Public Law Journal for the past 10 years.  His current research interests are constitutional equality and analogical reasoning, linguistic and logical accounts of generic norm sentences and marginal utility of fundamental rights.  Pedro’s work is mostly available at his academia page: https://pedromonizlopes.academia.edu/ [This episode was hosted by Julieta Rabanos and Bojan Spaić; edited by Bojan Spaić; uploaded and formatted by Julieta Rabanos]   (00:00:00) Intro HAPL (00:00:18) Introduction to the episode (00:01:09) Pedro Moniz Lopes – Academic Genealogy and Research Interests (00:07:07) Research Groups – Lisbon Legal Theory and History (00:13:54) Rules & principles: Arrival to the Distinction and Criteria for Distinguishing (00:26:12) Rules & principles: what entities are they? How does this connect with the issue of categorisation? (00:32:28) Genericity as the distinction criterion between rules & principles (00:48:04) The role of equality in the discussion on categorisation & rules and principles (01:00:24) Equality and analogy: similarities and differences (01:08:55) How to Frame the Discussions regarding Rules & Principles: from the Legal System to Legal Practitioners (01:16:58) Farewell and last words (01:21:00) Outro HAPL

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• Episode 6 - Non-human agents and the construction of legal reality (ft. Antonia Waltermann)

  In this episode, we delve into the topics of non-human agents, the construction of legal reality, and the encompassing role of legal education. What does it mean to be an agent? In which sense can we talk about non-human agents? Can we say that legal reality is “constructed”? How do we fit non-human agents within this legal reality? How does legal education participate in it? Antonia Waltermann discusses with us why researching on agency is important for the study of law, and why it is also important to extend the research also to what can be called “non-human agents”. We also explore what does it mean for legal reality to be a social construction and how and to what extent non-human agents might be considered as participating in such construction, as well as how legal education fits the picture through its presence, content, and influence on human agents. Antonia M. Waltermann is assistant professor of legal theory and philosophy at the Faculty of Law of Maastricht University. She has been a visiting scholar at Stockholm, Bologna and Ljubljana University. She has worked on sovereignty (e.g. Reconstructing Sovereignty, Springer Law and Philosophy Library, 2019), law and the cognitive sciences (e.g. in Law and Mind, Cambridge University Press, 2021) and non-human agency (e.g. in Law, Science and Rationality, Eleven International Publishing, 2019). Her current research focuses on social ontology, particularly on the agency and responsibility of non-human entities (including but not limited to AI) both within the law and when it comes to the (social) construction of law. As regards education, she has extensive experience with legal education in various roles, including but not limited to course design, coordination, and evaluation. Most recently, she is involved in educational design and policy at a programme level as well. [This episode was hosted by Julieta Rabanos and Bojan Spaić; edited by Bojan Spaić; uploaded and formatted by Julieta Rabanos]

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• Episode 5 - The Nature of International Law (ft. Miodrag Jovanović)

  In this episode, we delve into the encompassing topic of international law, exploring it through the eyes of philosophy of law. Can our conceptions of law encompass international law? Is there something akin of a nature of international law? What would be the main elements to determine such a nature? Miodrag Jovanović discusses why there has been a historical lack of philosophical interest in international law, and then delves into the analysis of the possibility to identify a nature of international law and its elements. We also explore how the choice of methodological perspective changes the approach to the existence and content of such nature, the properties of coercion and justice appness of international law, and inquire about the emergence of global law as a phenomenom and a field of study. Miodrag A. Jovanović is a Full Professor in Jurisprudence, at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade. He also teaches at the Legal Methods module of the European Master in Legal Theory, at the Goethe University, Frankfurt. He is a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the 2016 Brandon Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (Cambridge). His internationally published books include Constitutionalizing Secession in Federalized States: A Procedural Approach (Eleven International Publishing, 2007), Collective Rights – A Legal Theory (Cambridge University Press, 2012), and Unpacking Normativity – Conceptual, Normative and Descriptive Issues (co-edited with Kenneth Einar Himma and Bojan Spaić) (Hart Publishing, 2018) In you want to dive deeper into the topic of the nature of international law and philosophy of international law, you can check Miodrag’s book “⁠The Nature of International Law⁠” (Cambridge University Press, 2019). [This episode was hosted by Julieta Rabanos and Bojan Spaić; edited by Bojan Spaić; uploaded and formatted by Julieta Rabanos] (00:00:00) Intro HAPL (00:00:05) Introduction to the episode (00:01:25) Miodrag Jovanovic – Academic Genealogy and the Interest for International Law (00:09:12) Academy and a Generalised lack of philosophical interest regarding International Law – Why are the reasons? (00:14:32) Are our concepts and conceptions of law enough or adequate to give an account of International Law? (00:32:18) In search of the “nature” of International Law: conceptual analysis and methodology (00:52:08) The nature of international law: what are its typical features? How does coercion fit here? And global law? (01:03:30) The nature of international law and fragmentation of international law (01:11:40) The nature of international law: internal and external perspectives (01:16:41) Farewell (01:18:35) Outro

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