The thematic collections of the “Archive of Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy” organise our output around the great questions of legal theory and philosophy. Each joins a substantive introduction with a selection of texts published in the journal; all are available free of charge in open access.
Guide to the classics
- Classics of Legal Theory and Philosophy – We present the scholars from Poland and around the world who shaped legal theory and philosophy, and point to the texts devoted to them.
Currents and positions
- Legal Positivism – We show how Austin, Kelsen, Hart and Raz argue about the nature of law – and how their critics reply.
- Natural Law – We trace the oldest tradition of legal philosophy and its contemporary readings.
- Conventionalism and Constitutive Rules – We ask how rules constitute conventional acts in law and whether law rests on social convention.
- Principles of Law – We ask what the notion of a legal principle means and what role principles play in the legal system and in legal argument.
- Ius and Lex – On the Concept of Law – We take on the oldest question of legal philosophy: what law actually is, and how ius differs from lex.
Interpretation, values and practice
- Legal Interpretation – We show how the meaning of a legal text is established and where interpretation reaches its limits.
- Aesthetics of Law – We explore the links between law and beauty – a recognisable Polish speciality.
- Law and Morality – We ask how law is bound up with morality and with the ethics of the legal profession.
- Instrumentalization and the Autonomy of Law – We weigh the tension between law as an instrument of politics and its autonomy.
- Rationality – We ask what lies behind the assumption of a rational legislator and how rationality in law is to be understood.
For authors
Planning a text within one of these areas? The “Archive” publishes articles in legal theory and philosophy in Polish and English, in open access with no publication charges and with double-blind peer review; indexed in Scopus, DOAJ and ERIH PLUS (100 points on the Polish ministerial list). See the guidelines for authors.