Empirical approaches and their importance for the philosophy of law

Convenors: 

Piotr Bystranowski (Jagiellonian University) 

Bartosz Janik (University of Silesia in Katowice) 

Maciej Próchnicki (Jagiellonian University) 

Izabela Skoczeń (Jagiellonian University)

Experimental and empirical studies are no longer just a source of inspiration for philosophical reflection in law–they are already, it seems, becoming a standard method in jurisprudence. Legal philosophers, once occasional consumers of social science research, now increasingly often collect data on their own, in studies carefully designed to address central jurisprudential problems. The spectrum of analysed problems is as impressive as is the set of novel methods employed in this context. Against this ever more dynamic background, we would like to pause for a moment and reflect on a question: Does it really matter, after all?

Do empirical results bring us closer to solving the fundamental problems in legal philosophy? Do they help us understand better the structure of persistent debates and controversies? Under what circumstances should they lead us to revise the assumptions of our theories? To what extent can they provide a basis for normative conclusions and legal reforms? Can legal philosophical problems be adequately operationalized in empirical research?

Two kinds of submissions are particularly welcome in this workshop. First, theoretical papers examining the links between existing experimental and empirical research and the philosophy of law. Second, papers presenting original empirical data which either demonstrate the relevance of such research for philosophical reflection on law or point to specific issues which might put such relevance into doubt. We equally welcome qualitative and quantitative approaches to the analyzed problem.

Procedure:

1. Please send an abstract (around 500-1000 words without references) to piotr.bystranowski at uj.edu.pl by March 15th, 2022.

2. All accepted speakers must register as IVR Congress participants (see https://www.ivr2022.org/schedule-fees/).

3. All accepted participants are expected to share full versions of their papers by May 31st. This is a pre-read workshop.