Coherence - Universitetet i Bergen · • Coherence provides alternatives of interpretation –...

Coherence

As driving force, working program and basis for findings

1. a) The idea of the lecture• Making you conscious on coherence as a

means of cognition• To show that coherence is embedded in the

tradition: An unarticulated guideline to nearlyall law thinking !!!!!!

• Operationalizing a selection of thoughtsinspired by the realm of legal philosophy

• To show how the insights may be convertedinto practical working operation producingresults in your thesis.

1 b) Thesis - writing ”a log” • Legal dogmatics is to some extent «writing a log»• The discipline consists of a description of premises

and inferences, positive and negative findings. • Also self produced, new thoughts that do not

bring about a new interpretation may on principlebecome a part of the text. («the log»

• The reader and the community of researchers takean interest also in eliminated tracks, the ”blind alleys” Alexy 272

• The disposition mirrors the title, • But first…

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UNIVERSITETET I BERGEN

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Presentasjonsnotater

Det har kanskje kommet litt i bakgrunnen, men: Et doktogradsarbeide består i høy grad av en beretning om refleksjoner stipendiaten har gjort på veien i relasjon til besøkte kilder.

2. The concept ofcoherence

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2.a) The concept of coherence• General ethymological meaning: «connection»• Adjective: «coherent» = Logical, consistent, orderly• Note: «cohesive» = ”binding together” • Relation to ”consistency”: «compactness,

tightness»– Commmon negative exclusion: Non-

contradictory.• Coherence requires something more – a positive

addition. What?• The term coherence is a concept within legal

science («Rechtwissenschaft»)

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Det fines en rekke livsoråder som tar i bruk og hyller et koherensideal. Og man vil for eksempel bruke koherens om bevisbedømmelse for tilfeller der man trenger å justere et bevis slik at det kommer i samsvar med øvrige biter i bildet. Kanskje må man legge til grunn at A snanner sant, mens B lyber vor å kome til et koherent resultat.

Alexy/Peczenik; «definition»• The degree of perfection of a supportive structure

depends on the degree to which the following criteria of coherence are fulfilled: (1) the greatest possible number of supported statements belonging to the theory in question; (2) the greatest possible length of chains of reasons belonging to it; (3) the greatest possible number of strongly supported statements belonging to the theory; (4) the greatest possible number of connections between various supportive chains belonging to the theory; …….

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2 b) Coherence and the rule of law• Similar cases are to be solved similarily

– The application of law is not ro be haphazard/coincidental– The ideals of the positivist civil codes; BGB,

• Legal method; interpretation, analogy, consistency, the system of the law

• The law must be changed in accordance with societaldevelopments, included technological developments.– Ideas of legal philosophy, system theories (Doublet

1995)– Legal method allows for such inputs by policy

considerations; and putting weight on legitimacy in population

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Ulike overbyggende teoretiske strøminger kan fin forankres i ideer om rettsikkerhet, og linjen mellom rettsikkerhet og den ene rette løsning for et konrket rettspørsml

2 c) Legal philosophy on coherence• A realm of jurisprudential works (Aarnio, Rawls,

Raz, Alexy, Peczenik, MacCormick, Dworkin, Amaya)

• Rarely operatonalised, however Dworkin, ”Law as integrity”, ”fit and justification”, ”thechain novel” is close to the «practical legal dogmatics”.

• Coherence in legal method?– Downplayed in the Nordic countries

2 d) COHERENCE METAPHORS

«A Raft»

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Noen av metaforene er nokså innlysende, fordi de peker på det suyystematiserende og kartleggende. Det gir også mening til vårt arbeid fra dag til dag med å tolke den ene dommen i konsistens med andre dommer, eller undersøke om en norsk lov er i samsvar med et direktiv. Puslebiter skal passe sammen, det skal være et nett, eller som Dworkin sier «a seemless web». De siste metaforene er kanskje litt mer interessante i og med at de forteller om noe konstruktivt, om at noe endrer seg. Spiralen forstår jeg kanskje ikke, men dette med «raft» er en bra metafor. Poenget er at vi må bygge om båten mens den er i fart. JAREBORGS REKOSTRUKSJON. GRAVERS SKIPPER PÅ OPPRØRT HAV. TEORIENS TILPASNING TIL DET NYE

3. Coherence as driving force

The idea of coherence motivates• The vision of a coherent ”net” enables us to see inconsistencies

and needs of reparation– Attachment 1: Monsen, Berikelseskrav 2007 p.25

• Coherence provides alternatives of interpretation– Att. 2. Thorson, Formueskade 2011 p. 20-21)

• Updating the law: «Is the state of law still the same after the newinput represented by…»

• Deduction based on coherence: «The new constitutional provisionmay weaken the presedence from … This means that ….»

• Intuition-based: «Something is wrong…»• Curiosity-based: ”How can source A fit in with source B, and how

can this be reconciliated with source C”

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4. Coherence as a working programme

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Doctrinal lietrature

We need a programme for tidying up!

• 1. A Legal assertation/rule expressed in positive text (or elsewhere) • 2. Abstraction to the purpose behind the positive text• 3. Selection of relevant general principles• 4. Consider in light of profound societal values (verdier)• 5. Consider in light of any new element in surrounding legal sources• 6. Nominate possible explanations on basis of the sum of said

perspectives (”inference to the best explanation, abductivereasoning” (Amaya, and others))– Coherence-based intuition; What ”fits”? (Dworkin). Which

candidates satisfy constrains? (Amaya)• The tool for rationalisation: Comparison; identifying similarities and

differences• 7. Ideally: Choosing the best explanation/interpretation• But in order to write thesis; the log is in itself the goal

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4. a) Working programme

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IBE bygger på abduksjon, en slutningstype som har et element av intuisjon i seg. Filosofen Charles Sanders Peirce har sagt at the abduction comes to us ”like a flash

Example (simple, in order to demonstrate)

• Rule: Dogs are not allowed in the park• Purpose: Protecting sensitive birds in the park• Principle: Freedom of physical moving• Value: The well-being of animals and people• Presenting possible explanations …

(inference to the best explanation, IBE)

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Finding explanations

FastViciousQuiet Fast

QuietHarmless

NoisyHarmlessslow

Exercises of comparison• Dogs• Noisy• Violent• Harmless• Big (may be)• Medium fast • Furry (irrelevant)

• Cats• Quiet• Violent• Vicious • Small• Fast• Furry (irrelevant)

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Inference: Cats allowed/not allowed in the park

Exercises of comparison• Dogs• Noisy• Violent• Big (may be)• Medium fast • Furry (irrelevant)

• Rabbit• Quiet• Harmless• Small• Fast• Furry (irrrelevant)

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Inference: Rabbits allowed/not allowed in the park

4 b) Comparison in pursuit of coherence• Starting point in the core of the rule - the”ideal type”• Nominating candidates for the factual scope of the rule• Comparing relevant similarities and differences between ideal type

and candidate• Judging whether or not the candidate is sufficiently similar to be

covered by the rule.• What s the relevant perspective for comparison?

• The purpose, function and context of the rule is decisive– At this point normative prosesses which is impossible to

articulate i a general form (Amaya, Alexy)• The pattern/structure of reasoning is general

– Ex: Falkanger, God tro 1999 p. 371 ff.• Writing the log of the process is valuable in itself

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4 c) Coherence-Making Mechanisms

• By addition of a source-based element– By interpretation:«the real ratio of the Supreme Court was …»

• By subtracting a sorurce-based element– By ways of interpretation:«The preparatory works is based onpresuppositions no longer valid. Therefore … »

• By reinterpretation strategy– Re-interpreting a body of case law

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4. d) Tools for writing• Paraphrasing:

• «Paraphrase consists in translating the given interpreted expression into some otherexpression» (Brozek)

• Examplifications:• Only the negative examplifications are useful in

order to narrow down the meaning bundle of a given text.(Brozek)

– But … also positive examplifications may be valuable to the dogmatic text – to your log

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Marcello Guarini«Case Classification, Similarities, Spacesof Reasons, and Coherences»

4 e) The future – Artificial Intelligence?

5. Coherence as a basis for findings

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5. Coherence and findings• Is writing the log a finding in itself?• Yes (!) Alexy 272• Construction of coherence - valuable

• Adjusting the system (the whole) in light of analyses of (new) source elements (parts)

– Consequences to other areas of law?

• Detecting incoherence - valuable– A task for the legislative powers

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Coherence - Universitetet i Bergen · • Coherence provides alternatives of interpretation –...

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