Research article
Open texture of law and evolution of legal institutions. The case of marriage
Otwarta struktura prawa a ewolucja instytucji prawnych na przykładzie małżeństwa
Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, nr 1(34)/2023, s. 18-31
English
Abstract
This paper outlines how we can use Hart’s conception of the open texture of law for a theoretical reflection on the phenomenon of evolving legal institutions. The first part of the paper reflects on the concept of ‘open texture’. It presents the so-called prescriptive interpretation of the open texture, initially proposed by Brian Bix. The prescriptive interpretation does not aim to prove the existence of open texture. It indicates that we should interpret legal provisions ‘as if’ there was an open texture. In the second part, I present how the open structure of law explains judicial activism or legislative amendments. As an example, the concept of marriage is of primary concern. One of the main pitfalls is the so-called ‘semantic argument’, which highlights the linguistic boundaries for making certain legal changes (e.g., introducing same-sex marriages and granting legal personhood to rivers). The problem of semantic boundaries is placed in the context of the division between concepts relating to social and legal kinds. Finally, the above considerations are tentatively applied to the discussion about contents of Article 18 of the Polish Constitution.
Keywords
- open texture
- marriage
- legal kinds
References
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Publication information
Issue data
Issue nr 1(34)/2023
- Pages
- 18-31
- Published
How to cite
Bibliographic description and verified export formats.
Format AFPiFS
B. Biskup, Open texture of law and evolution of legal institutions. The case of marriage, „Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej” nr 1(34)/2023, s. 18–31, DOI: 10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18
ACM
[1] Bartosz Biskup. 2023. Open texture of law and evolution of legal institutions. The case of marriage. AFPiFS 1(34) (2023), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18
ACS
(1) Biskup, B. Open Texture of Law and Evolution of Legal Institutions. The Case of Marriage. AFPiFS 2023, No. 1(34), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18.
APA
Biskup, B. (2023). Open texture of law and evolution of legal institutions. The case of marriage. Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, 1(34), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18
ABNT
BISKUP, Bartosz. Open texture of law and evolution of legal institutions. The case of marriage. Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, n. 1(34), p. 18–31, 2023.
Chicago
Biskup, Bartosz. “Open Texture of Law and Evolution of Legal Institutions. The Case of Marriage.” Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, no. 1(34) (2023): 18–31. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18.
Harvard
Biskup, B. (2023) “Open texture of law and evolution of legal institutions. The case of marriage,” Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, 1(34), pp. 18–31. Available at: https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18.
IEEE
[1] B. Biskup, “Open texture of law and evolution of legal institutions. The case of marriage,” AFPiFS, no. 1(34), pp. 18–31, 2023, doi: 10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18.
MLA
Biskup, Bartosz. “Open Texture of Law and Evolution of Legal Institutions. The Case of Marriage.” Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, no. 1(34), 2023, pp. 18–31, https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18.
Turabian
Biskup, Bartosz. “Open Texture of Law and Evolution of Legal Institutions. The Case of Marriage.” Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej, no. 1(34) (2023): 18–31. https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18.
Vancouver
1. Biskup B. Open texture of law and evolution of legal institutions. The case of marriage. AFPiFS. 2023;1(34):18–31. doi:10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18
OSCOLA
Bartosz Biskup, ‘Open texture of law and evolution of legal institutions. The case of marriage’ (2023) 1(34) AFPiFS 18 <https://doi.org/10.36280/afpifs.2023.1.18>.