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Józef Nowacki

Józef Nowacki (1923–2005) – Polish legal theorist, professor at the University of Silesia and one of the foremost representatives of analytical legal theory in Poland. A consistent positivist, he studied the notion of legality, general clauses and the methodological foundations of jurisprudence, defending conceptual rigour against ideologisation.

Texts in the „Archive”

An Ideal of Scientific Jurisprudence: Józef Nowacki Against Ideological Influences on Jurisprudential Claims

Tomasz Pietrzykowski · Issue 3(36)/2023

On Nowacki’s methodological assumptions and his opposition to the ideologisation of jurisprudential claims – a defence of the scientific ideal in legal scholarship.

Legality as Compliance with the Intention of the Legislator: The Understanding of Legality in Józef Nowacki’s Works

Zygmunt Tobor · Issue 3(36)/2023

A reconstruction of the two senses of legality in Nowacki’s work and their significance for today’s disputes over the rule of law.

Situationist and Normative Concepts of General Clauses

Sławomir Tkacz · Issue 3(36)/2023

An analysis of Nowacki’s distinction between the situationist and the normative conception of general clauses, and of the dispute over which is the more accurate.

Law and Values Other than Moral: On Searching for Inspiration in Józef Nowacki’s Works

Kamil Zeidler · Issue 3(36)/2023

Kamil Zeidler examines in Nowacki’s writings the theme of the relation of law to values other than moral ones – aesthetic, cognitive and practical.

See also the Principles of Law and Legal Positivism collections.

Principles of Law

A thematic collection of the “Archive of Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy”. Texts on the principles of law – the ways this notion is understood and the role principles play in the legal system and in legal argument. All articles are available free of charge in open access.

Disputes over the notion of a legal principle

The contemporary debate on legal principles was opened by Ronald Dworkin, who contrasted principles with rules in his polemic against positivism, and was developed by Robert Alexy, who understood principles as optimisation requirements to be weighed in cases of collision. Polish legal theory, however, has followed its own path. In the classic study by Sławomira Wronkowska, Maciej Zieliński and Zygmunt Ziembiński (Zasady prawa. Zagadnienia podstawowe, 1974), principles are not a separate kind of norm opposed to rules, but norms of particular importance or of a high degree of generality; a distinction is drawn between the directival sense, in which a principle is a norm, and the descriptive sense, in which it is a statement about the characteristic features of a given body of regulation. The very notion of a legal principle thus remains contested, and different branches of legal scholarship understand it differently.

Selected texts

William David Ross’s prima facie duties vis-à-vis Ronald Dworkin’s principles of law – Milena Korycka-Zirk, No. 2(43)/2025 (in English)
Remarks About the Axiological Dimension of the Polish Constitution of 1997 and Its Interpretation – Sławomir Tkacz, Zygmunt Tobor, No. 1(30)/2022
Law and Values Other Than Moral. On Searching for Tropes in Józef Nowacki’s Works – Kamil Zeidler, No. 3(36)/2023
Robert Alexy’s Theory of Legal Principles – Milena Korycka, No. 1(1)/2010 (in English)
The Principle of Nullum Crimen Sine Lege as a Source for the Search for the Limits of Linguistic Interpretation in Criminal Law? – Sławomir Tkacz, No. 2(23)/2020

For authors

The “Archive” publishes articles in legal theory and philosophy – including work on legal principles and constitutional argument – in Polish and English, in open access with no publication charges and with double-blind peer review. The journal is indexed in Scopus, DOAJ and ERIH PLUS (100 points on the Polish ministerial list). See the guidelines for authors.

An editorial collection. Last updated: July 2026.

Legal Interpretation

A thematic collection of the “Archive of Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy”. Texts on legal interpretation – its theories, directives and limits, and its role in adjudication. All articles are available free of charge in open access.

Theories of legal interpretation

Polish legal theory contributed two classic conceptions to the analysis of interpretation: Jerzy Wróblewski’s clarificative theory, on which interpretation is called for when doubt arises as to the meaning of a provision, and Maciej Zieliński’s derivational conception, on which every legal text requires full interpretive reconstruction of norms of conduct (omnia sunt interpretanda). The dispute between the two approaches – including the status of the maxim clara non sunt interpretanda – remains among the liveliest strands of Polish jurisprudence, alongside research on interpretive directives, the linguistic limits of interpretation, legislative materials and new empirical tools.

Selected texts

Wnioskowanie heurystyczne w praktyce orzeczniczej sądów polskich – Paweł Ochmann, No. 2(47)/2026 (in Polish)
Odczytywanie reguł konstytutywnych z tekstu prawnego. Przykład ułaskawienia – Karolina Gmerek, Michał Krotoszyński, No. 1(46)/2026 (in Polish)
Stosowanie prawa łaski przez Prezydenta RP w świetle argumentów spoza tekstu Konstytucji – Zygmunt Tobor, Sławomir Piekarczyk, No. 1(46)/2026 (in Polish)
Krytyczna analiza tezy o przydatności idei metafory konceptualnej w wykładni prawa – Robert Piszko, No. 2(39)/2024 (in Polish)
Wyznaczanie temporalnych granic decyzji interpretacyjnej przez sąd – Tomasz Grzybowski, Marta Sarnowiec-Cisłak, No. 2(39)/2024 (in Polish)
Intencjonalistyczny charakter interpretacji Pisma Świętego i interpretacji prawa – Paweł T. Skoczykłoda, No. 4(37)/2023 (in Polish)
Pewność prawa a zasada interpretatio retro non agit – Agnieszka Bielska-Brodziak, Marek Suska, No. 3(36)/2023 (in Polish)
Zasada nullum crimen sine lege jako źródło poszukiwania językowej granicy wykładni prawa karnego? – Sławomir Tkacz, No. 2(23)/2020 (in Polish)

For authors

The “Archive” publishes articles in legal theory and philosophy – including work on interpretation and legal argumentation – in Polish and English, in open access with no publication charges and with double-blind peer review. The journal is indexed in Scopus, DOAJ and ERIH PLUS (100 points on the Polish ministerial list). See the guidelines for authors.

An editorial collection. Last updated: July 2026.

No. 1(46)/2026 [PL/ENG]

ARTICLES

Dr Sławomir Piekarczyk
Prof. dr hab. Zygmunt Tobor
Stosowanie prawa łaski przez Prezydenta RP w świetle argumentów spoza tekstu Konstytucji – materiały legislacyjne i utrwalona praktyka (studium przypadku)

Dr Karolina Gmerek
Dr Michał Krotoszyński
Odczytywanie reguł konstytutywnych z tekstu prawnego. Przykład ułaskawienia

Dr Marta Laskowska
Czynniki podlegające ocenie i kwalifikacji w postępowaniu sądowym o rozwiązanie przysposobienia – badania akt spraw prowadzonych przez sądy rejonowe miasta Warszawy

Mgr Marcin Wilczyński
Ochrona niezawisłości sędziowskiej na tle historycznego rozwoju klauzuli good behaviour jako podstawy odwołania sędziego w prawie angielskim i amerykańskim

Mgr Bartłomiej Bodziński-Guzik
Prawo, teatr i empatia – czyli Teatr Legislacyjny?

Dr Łukasz Mirocha
Spencer and Kropotkin: Two Takes on Evolutionary Sources of Social Norms

REVIEWES

Dr Dawid Kostecki
Jak badać prawo, by nie zgubić sensu? Głos w dyskusji nad metodologią badań prawa na kanwie książki Grzegorza Wierczyńskiego Ewolucja programów badania prawa (Wolters Kluwer, Warszawa 2025, ss. 403)

The Use of the Power of Pardon by the President of the Republic of Poland in Light of Arguments Outside the Text of the Constitution – Legislative Materials and Established Practice (Case Study)

Sławomir Piekarczyk

University of Silesia in Katowice

Zygmunt Tobor

University of Silesia in Katowice

English abstract: The case whereby the President of the Republic of Poland applied the right of pardon towards individuals who had not been validly convicted has revived ongoing discussions regarding whether such an action is consistent with the Constitution. The problematic aspect in this regard is not only the admissibility of so-called individual abolition but also the very manner of granting pardon while bypassing the procedure provided for in the Code of Criminal Procedure. Since the contentious nature of the issue arises from ambiguities in the Constitution’s text, this study’s research objective is to present useful tools outside of this text that may assist in its interpretation. To achieve this, an analysis of legislative materials from sessions of the National Assembly’s Constitutional Commission is conducted, and the established practice (constitutional custom) concerning the problematic issues is discussed. The research conclusions warrant the thesis that these extratextual arguments provide strong justifications for specific interpretative hypotheses. Regarding the first issue, the hypothesis is that the right of pardon does not encompass individual abolition. The hypothesis concerning the second issue is the inadmissibility of a procedure that bypasses the Code of Criminal Procedure regulations.

Key words: power of pardon, legislative materials, established practice, legal text interpretation

Language: polish

Published: Number 1(2026), pp. 5–21.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36280/AFPiFS.2026.1.5

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Issue 3(36)/2023 „Archiwum…” is now available

Welcome to the English-language issue 3(36)/2023 of the „Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej”. The issue is titled: „Between Legal Theory and Ideology” and is dedicated to the thought of Prof. Józef Nowacki on the centenary of his birth and on the twentieth anniversary of the publication of a collection of his writings titled „Studies in the Theory of Law”. The issue includes the following texts:

Prof. UŚ dr hab. Sławomir TKACZ: Between Legal Theory and Ideology. Introduction
Prof. dr hab. Józef NOWACKI: Normative and Situationist Conception of General Clause of the Principles of Community Coexistence
Prof. dr hab. Tomasz PIETRZYKOWSKI: An Ideal of Scientific Jurisprudence. Józef Nowacki Against Ideological Influences on Jurisprudential Claims
Prof. dr hab. Zygmunt TOBOR: Legality as Compliance with the Intention of the Legislator. The Understanding of Legality in Józef Nowacki’s Works
Prof. dr hab. Kamil ZEIDLER: Law and Values Other Than Moral. On Searching for Inspiration in Józef Nowacki’s Works
Prof. UŚ dr hab. Agnieszka BIELSKA-BRODZIAK, dr Marek SUSKA: Legal Certainty and the Interpretatio Retro Non Agit Principle
Prof. dr hab. Leszek LESZCZYŃSKI: Situationist and Normative Concepts of General Clauses. The Context of Differences and Common Grounds
Prof. UŚ dr hab. Sławomir TKACZ: Situationist and Normative Concepts of General Clauses. Disputes About the Accuracy of Two Approaches to General Clauses in the Light of Józef Nowacki’s Views

The issue is available HERE.

Number 3(36)/2023 [PL]

Prof. UŚ dr hab. Sławomir TKACZ
Between Legal Theory and Ideology. Introduction

Prof. dr hab. Józef NOWACKI
Normative and Situationist Conception of General Clause of the Principles of Community Coexistence

Artykuły:

Prof. dr hab. Tomasz PIETRZYKOWSKI
An Ideal of Scientific Jurisprudence. Józef Nowacki Against Ideological Influences on Jurisprudential Claims

Prof. dr hab. Zygmunt TOBOR
Legality as Compliance with the Intention of the Legislator. The Understanding of Legality in Józef Nowacki’s Works

Prof. dr hab. Kamil ZEIDLER
Law and Values Other Than Moral. On Searching for Inspiration in Józef Nowacki’s Works

Prof. UŚ dr hab. Agnieszka BIELSKA-BRODZIAK, dr Marek SUSKA
Legal Certainty and the Interpretatio Retro Non Agit Principle

Prof. dr hab. Leszek LESZCZYŃSKI
Situationist and Normative Concepts of General Clauses. The Context of Differences and Common Grounds

Prof. UŚ dr hab. Sławomir TKACZ
Situationist and Normative Concepts of General Clauses. Disputes About the Accuracy of Two Approaches to General Clauses in the Light of Józef Nowacki’s Views

Legality as Compliance with the Intention of the Legislator. The Understanding of Legality in Józef Nowacki’s Works

Prof. dr hab. Zygmunt TOBOR

University of Silesia in Katowice

English abstract: The issue of legality is one of the most important threads in the scientific achievements of Professor Józef Nowacki. He distinguished two ways of understanding legality: a stronger one, which boils down to determining the compliance of behaviour with the contents of a duly enacted provision, and a weaker one, when the only legal basis is an obligation to employ a specific kind of evaluation. In the author’s opinion, Nowacki’s idea does not adequately take into account the fundamental problems with determining the meaning of a legal provision, i.e., problems of interpretation. The proposition that legality means compliance with the contents of a provision transfers the burden of making findings in this respect onto the subject interpreting it. The author discusses two approaches to statutory interpretation, i.e., the eclectic approach, in which there is no universal criterion for the correctness of interpretation, and the categorical approach, in which it is assumed that such a criterion exists. He points out that only a categorical approach can be reconciled with the idea of the rule of law and the role of judges as faithful agents of the legislator. Therefore, he proposes that compliance with the intention of the legislator should be taken as a criterion for the correctness of the interpretation. When legality is approached this way, the need to distinguish its stronger and weaker versions disappears. The qualification of a behaviour as legal or illegal will be based on the criterion of compliance with the intention of the legislator.

Keywords: legality, rule of law, statutory interpretation, intention of the legislator

Language: Polish

Published: Number 3(36)/2023, s. 34-43.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36280/AFPiFS.2023.3.34

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This text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial – No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Issue 1(30)/2022 „Archiwum…”: „Constitution and Values – Yesterday and Today” is available

We invite you to read the latest issue of „Archiwum Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej”, the Journal of the Polish Section of IVR entitled “Constitution and Values – Yesterday and Today”. The issue was edited by prof. UW dr hab. Tatiana Chauvin, and includes the following papers:

Prof. Prof. UW dr hab. Tomasz Stawecki: Piotr Winczorek: Researcher, Teacher and Friend
Szymon A. Gasz, Marek P. Kaczmarczyk: Introduction to the Fidelity to the Constitution
Prof. UMK dr hab. Aleksandra Kustra-Rogatka: Protection of Fundamental Rights as an Argument in the Dispute over the Legitimacy of Judicial Review. Selected Issues
Prof. dr hab. Leszek Leszczyński: General Constitutional Clauses: Between the Legislative Construction and Its Implementation
Dr Wojciech Mojski: Analysis of the Constitutional Crisis from the Perspective of the Constitution’s Axiological Function. Outline of Basic Theoretical Issues
Dr hab. Maciej Pichlak: Polish Disputes Between Populist and Legal Constitutionalism in the Context of Reflexivity of Constitution
Dr Marcin Romanowicz: Instrumentalization of Law and the Constitutional Crisis: Reflection on the Basis of Several Topical Findings of Professor Piotr Winczorek
Dr hab. Anna Rossmanith: The Crisis of Dialogue and Political Community: Philosophical Reflections on the Relationship Between Pluralism, Difference and Dialogue
Dr Paweł Skuczyński: Social Reading of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland versus Constitutional Axiology and Constitutional Social Ontology
Prof. UŚ dr hab. Sławomir Tkacz, prof. dr hab. Zygmunt Tobor: Remarks About the Axiological Dimension of the Polish Constitution of 1997 and Its Interpretation in the Light of Works of Professor Piotr Winczorek

The issue also includes the introduction Constitution and Values – Yesterday and Today: Introduction by prof. UW dr hab. Tatiana Chauvin, and The statement of Presidium of the Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy – Polish Section of IVR on the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

The issue is available HERE.