Journal Quaestio Facti
\nA Tribute to Larry Laudan
\nJune 2025
\nCall for Papers
\nGuest editors:
\nAmalia Amaya\, UNAM
\nAndré\;s Pá\;ez\, Universidad de los Andes
\nDescription of the issue
\nDuring the last two decades of his life\, Larry Laudan\, best known as one of the greatest philosophers of science of the 20th century\, devoted much of his work to thinking about law in general\, and criminal law in particular. With the help of the analytical tools he honed over many years in his work on the philosophy of science\, Laudan succeeded in bringing new life to many fundamental questions of evidential reasoning in law. Laudan named his approach to law 'legal epistemology' to make it clear that\, from his perspective\, much of legal practice must be seen as a form of empirical enquiry. In this special issue of Quaestio Facti\, we will pay tribute to the originality and depth of his thought. We are interested in the impact of his work on the philosophy of evidence law both in terms of the topics he addressed and the tools of analysis he used. Among the many possible issues are standards of proof\, procedural rules and rules of admissibility of evidence\, the presumption of innocence\, the evidentiary burden\, error distribution\, affirmative defences\, theories of punishment\, the social contract around the cost of errors in the judicial system\, among many others.
\nInstructions
\nResearch articles are welcome that focus on any of the topics Laudan addressed in his reflections on evidential law. The articles do not have to focus on Laudan's theses on the subject\, but it is desirable that they somehow show some relationship with his views. Articles must be original and unpublished. It is suggested that texts not exceed 10\,000 words\, including references. All submissions will undergo formal review by the editors and\, upon approval\, will be subject to double-blind peer review. Texts written in English\, Spanish\, and Portuguese are accepted\, although our preference is for texts written in the latter two languages to facilitate the dissemination of Laudan's work in Ibero-America. \;
\nFormal guidelines for the submission of papers and submission instructions can be consulted here: https://www.quaestiofacti.com/es/paginas/como-publicar \; Deadline: 28 February 2025 \;