introduction to legal philosophy chapter 1 by tabucanon

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTIONTO LEGAL PHILOSOPHY

“Amidst the cross currents and shifting sands of public lifethe law is like a great ark upon which a man may set

his foot and be safe.”

— Lord Chancellor Sankey

Jus ars boni et aequi1

I. INTRODUCTION A. LAW

Law is a rule of conduct, recognized by custom or by formal enactment, which a community considers as binding upon its members.2 The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy calls law a ‘complex social phenomenon’ and is ‘one of the most intricate aspects of human culture.’ Law is normative in that it guides human conduct. But it is not the only ‘source’ of normative conduct for there is also religion, morality, custom and convention. Law is certainly connected with the other sources of normative behavior but at the same time it is distinct from them. In fact, religion, morality, equity, custom and societal conventions are among the sources of law.

1“Law is justice and equity.” Black’s Law Dictionary defi nes equity as fairness, impartiality and evenhanded dealing; the “body of principles constituting what is fair and right; natural law.”

2The New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of the English Language, E. Adamson Hoebel, a legal anthropologist, however, noted that the search for a commonly accepted defi nition of law is as diffi cult as the search for the Holy Grail.

2 LEGAL PHILOSOPHY FOR FILIPINOS:A CASE STUDY APPROACH

The term law comes from Old English lagu (pl. laga) meaning ‘something laid down or fi xed.’ It in turn comes from Old Germanic lagan which means ‘put or lay.’ ‘Legal’ comes from the Latin legalis, where lex (pl. leges) means law. Thus, we have lex terrae, the law of the land; lex fori, the law of the forum or court; lex loci, the law of the place; lex mercatoria, the law or custom of merchants.

Cicero defi nes law as a ‘natural force,’ the ‘highest reason,’ one ‘implanted in Nature, which commands what ought to be done and forbids the opposite.’ It is the ‘mind’ and ‘reason of the intelligent man’ whose ‘natural function’ is to ‘command right and forbid wrongdoing.’3

Aquinas writes that ‘[l]aw is a rule and measure of [human] acts…pertaining to reason.’4 When confronted with the objection that law is not something pertaining to reason, e.g. ‘I see another law in my members,’5 Aquinas said that ‘law is in all those things that are inclined to something.’ Thus, the inclination of the members to concupiscence, i.e. sexual desire, is called the law of the members.6 Others insist it is ‘will’ not ‘reason’ that moves people to act as they do. That law pertains not to reason but to will: ‘[w]hatever pleaseth the sovereign, has the force of law.’ Aquinas says that for true ‘will’ to be lawful it has to be in accord with reason. If the will of the sovereign would have the force of law it must be under the command of reason, otherwise the ‘sovereign’s will would savor of lawlessness rather than of law.’7

The Supreme Court defi nes law as a ‘rule established to guide our actions,’ with ‘no binding effect until it is enacted;’ thus it has ‘no application to past times but only to future time.’8 In its ‘general and abstract’ sense, law is the ‘science of moral laws founded on the rational nature of man’ that ‘governs his free activity for the realization of the individual and societal ends of life;’ in its specifi c

3Cicero, Laws. 4St. Thomas Aquinas, Treatise on Law, Gateway edition, p.3. 5Romans 7:23.6Aquinas, supra.7Id.8Nilo v. Court of Appeals, 128 SCRA 524.

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and concrete sense it is a ‘rule of conduct, just, obligatory, formulated by legitimate power for common observance and benefi t.’9

B. DISSATISFACTION WITH THE LAW?

Indeed, the principal means for the regulation of societal affairs is through law. Man’s relationships and dealings with his fellowmen would be chaotic without the consciousness that law will be there guiding and protecting each person’s day to day affairs. When one boards the jeepney, enters a restaurant, hires the services of a carpenter or speaks before his colleagues, he or she is doing so with the faith in law’s abiding hand ever ready to protect him. Yet, one often hears of comments not only critical but cynical about the law’s treatment of ‘ordinary people.’

According to Weeramantry:

If growing lay disrespect is today nibbling at the foundations of the law, the prime reason is the failure of the law to communicate with the layman. The layman sees his expectations of justice belied in many an instance and with each shortfall between the practical decision and the ideal result, there follows a diminution of respect, lowering the prestige of law and lawyers alike.10

Among the accusations heaped on the practitioners of law is some are not truly interested in the law’s bedrock principles of truth, fairness and justice. Rather, in their egotistical quest to win cases they regard law practice much like shady business deals which resort to infl uence peddling or buying their way to victory. These are the misguided ones, and true law would have no place for them.

9Lapitan v. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Offi ce, 60 O.G. 6841; 4 C.A.R. (2s) 704.

10C.G. Weeramantry, The Law in Crisis: Bridges of Understanding, Capemoss, London, 1975, p.3.

CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION TO LEGAL PHILOSOPHY

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LEGAL PHILOSOPHY FOR FILIPINOS:A CASE STUDY APPROACH

by

GIL MARVEL P. TABUCANON LL.M. in Dispute Resolution

Fulbright Fellow

“Law is the king of mortal and immortal beings.”

– Plutarch

“Two things awe me most, the starry sky above and the moral law within.”

– Immanuel Kant

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Philippine Copyright 2011

by

GIL MARVEL P. TABUCANON

ISBN 978-971-23-5992-7

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DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to the Blessed Beauty, Baha’u’llah, Prophet Founder of the Baha’i Faith, whose teaching on the oneness of mankind and the common foundation of all religions has inspired me in my days.

O SON OF SPIRIT!

The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confi de in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neigh-bor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Ver-ily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

– Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words

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“Nulli vendemus, nulli negabimus, nulli differemus rectum vel justitiam.”

(To none will we sell, to none deny or delay,

right or justice.)

– Magna Carta, 1215

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PREFACE

Legal philosophy is not an easy subject to tackle; for that matter, it is not usually in the law students’ top ten list of favorite subjects. I base these observations from my more than seven years of teaching the course. I will cite three reasons why legal philosophy baffl ed law students in the past, and continues to do so at present among today’s supposedly cyber-smart students: 1) It is not a bar subject; ergo, it must be a ‘minor’ subject, 2) its study does not help bring in one’s fi rst ‘million,’ and 3) legal philosophy is only for philosophers inhabiting cloistered academic ivory towers.

The arguments are misplaced. True, legal philosophy is not a bar subject. But so is legal research, or, strictly, legal writing. All three subjects imbue skills to the bar candidate pervading through in all the eight bar subjects and beyond. Imagine a lawyer who is defi cient in legal research: where would he fi nd his law, and decisions to bolster his argument, not to mention citations deconstructing the fallacies of his opponent. Or a practitioner whose writing skills amount at best to legal mumbo-jumbo, i.e., one who has no clue how to present his thoughts on paper in simple, grammatically correct and clear terms.

Legal philosophy equips students with outright skills in questioning, analysis and the ability to look at the facts and law from different viewpoints. The course teaches students how to be broadminded, mindful of the ‘essence’ of the rules rather than merely sticking to their literal signifi cation, for in the end it is the letter that ‘killeth’ and spirit that ‘giveth life’ (2 Cor 3:6). It urges one to introspect, to be critical even of one’s own beliefs, for one is not always right all the time, and truth may come from anyone — friend or foe — regardless of his or her life status: Light is light in whatever lamp it is shining, to paraphrase Abdu’l-Baha. Thus a linear, one-track kind of mind so dangerously expressed in the way some people act out their religious or political views would be averted.

Granting arguendo that Legal Philosophy is an impractical exercise that does not bring with it dollars or pesos. Yet, this line

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of thinking assumes that money is all there is. If one aspires for a career in money-making, then business, not law is apt. The study of law looks into principles beyond wealth or beyond ‘might is right.’ It looks into the determination of our rights under those principles stronger than brute strength or raw power. Among these is the principle of justice and fairness in our dealings with other people. This is an elemental principle whose constant fl icker must always refl ect in our laws. For without justice, society and its rules would redound to tyranny and oppression.

Philosophy is not only for philosophers but for anyone who cares to know and understand. As Will Durant says so much of our lives is spent without meaning, teetering between ‘vacillation’ and ‘futility.’ This need not be so, as life itself is a gold mine of meaning! To fi nd that meaning is our ‘meat and drink,’ to quote Browning. Stripped of our non-essential concerns and petty pursuits, deep down there is something in us that yearns to express a deep want: we want to understand. We want to know what it is to be a good person, a good citizen and member of the human society. We want to know how our institutions work for us and how we can in turn help our institutions. We want to follow an ordered life with rules we can obey and respect not only for our generation but for generations to come. Philosophy helps us come to grips with life’s basic questions. Perchance we can come up with tentative answers.

GIL MARVEL P. TABUCANONSchool of LawMacquarie University – Sydney14 March [email protected]

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Introduction to Legal Philosophy

I. Introduction ....................................................................... 1 A. Law ........................................................................... 1 B. Dissatisfaction with the law? ................................... 3 C. Are the following subject to the rule of law? ........... 4 D. Philosophy ................................................................. 5 The Baby Theresa Case ................................... 7 E. Uses of Philosophy .................................................... 10 F. Legal Philosophy ....................................................... 12 G. Five schools of jurisprudence ................................... 14 Naturalism ....................................................... 14 Positivism ......................................................... 14 Realism ............................................................. 15 Formalism ........................................................ 15 Critical Legal studies ....................................... 16

Chapter 2

Nature of Law

I. Law as rules and process .................................................. 17 A. Law as rules .............................................................. 17 B. Law as process .......................................................... 18II. Common characteristics of law ......................................... 19 A. Obedience .................................................................. 19 B. Generality ................................................................. 20 C. Promulgation ............................................................ 21 D. The rule of law .......................................................... 22 Case Study: Comparison between poor and excellent legal systems ............................................................. 23 E. Is international law true law? .................................. 24 Case study: Adolf Eichmann case ................... 27

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III. Law within religious dogma and tradition ...................... 28 A. Code of Hammurabi .................................................. 28 B. John Calvin ............................................................... 29 C. Inquisition ................................................................. 30IV. Law and religion ................................................................ 31 A. Jewish law ................................................................. 31 1. Torah ................................................................. 31 2. Mishnah ............................................................ 32 3. Responsa ........................................................... 32 Human rights in Jewish law............................................. 33 B. Islamic law ................................................................ 34 Human rights in Islamic law ............................................ 36 C. Canon law.................................................................. 37 Human rights in canon law .............................................. 38 Case studies: Intersection of law and religion ........ 40V. Law as custom ................................................................... 43 A. Savigny’s doctrine of the historical school ............... 43 B. Ehrlich’s sociological approach into the nature of law .................................................... 44 Case study: The Katarungang Pambarangay ......... 46

Chapter 3

Ends and Effects of LawFull Development of the Human Personality

A. Aristotle ..................................................................... 49 B. Aquinas ..................................................................... 51

Chapter 4

Ends and Effects of LawJustice

Signifi cance of justice ................................................................. 53Aristotle on justice ..................................................................... 54Other defi nitions of justice ........................................................ 55Justice of obedience to a higher law .......................................... 56Social justice ........................................................................... 57 Case study: Calalang v. Williams ..................................... 57

Chapter 5

Ends and Effects of LawWisdom and Law as Heuristic

A. What is wisdom ................................................................. 58

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Case study: Abraham Lincoln........................................... 60B. Plato’s view of law and wisdom ........................................ 60Law as heuristic ......................................................................... 63

Chapter 6

Ends and Effects of Law

Equity

Equity ......................................................................................... 65Case study .................................................................................. 68Equitable principles in international environmental law ....... 68 1. Common but differentiated responsibilities ............ 68 2. Sustainable development ......................................... 69 3. Intergenerational equity .......................................... 70 Case study: Oposa v. Factoran ................................. 71

Chapter 7


Human Rights

Human Rights ........................................................................... 73Historical development .............................................................. 74Concept of humanity .................................................................. 75Human rights instruments ........................................................ 77 Case study: Primicias v. Fugoso ....................................... 78

Chapter 8


Equality

Equality ................................................................................... 80 1. Common humanity ................................................... 82 2. Moral capacities ........................................................ 82 3. Equality in unequal circumstances ......................... 83 Case study: Villacencio v. Lukban ........................... 83

Chapter 9


Equal Access Before the Law

Equal Access Before the Law .................................................... 85

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Positive discrimination .............................................................. 86 Case study: Domestic helpers in Singapore ..................... 87

Chapter 10


Liberalism

Concept ................................................................................... 89Negative and Positive liberalism .............................................. 90 Case study: Chua-Qua v. Clave ........................................ 91 Case study: Contract law and liberalism ......................... 92

Chapter 11


Morality

Concept ................................................................................... 93Morality and law ........................................................................ 94 Case study: Genocide in Rwanda ..................................... 94Morality and good manners ....................................................... 97 Case study: Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King ............................................................... 97

Chapter 12

Kinds of Law

A. Overview ........................................................................... 98B. Divine and human law ...................................................... 99C. Natural and positive law .................................................. 101 Case study: Kripak case .................................................... 102D. Criminal and civil law ....................................................... 104 1. Criminal law ............................................................. 104 2. Civil law .................................................................... 107Common and civil law systems ................................................. 108 A. Common law.............................................................. 108 B. Civil law .................................................................... 108Advantages and disadvantages ................................................. 109Role of the judge in common and civil law systems ................. 109 A. Adversarial system ................................................... 109 B. Inquisitorial system .................................................. 109

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Chapter 13

Legal Philosophy Schools of Thought

Natural Law Theory

Natural Law Theory .................................................................. 111 A. Ius naturable ............................................................. 111 B. Overlap thesis ........................................................... 112 C. Positivist view of law ................................................ 113 Case study: Antigone ................................................ 113Arguments for natural law ........................................................ 114Arguments against natural law ................................................ 114Report of the Philippine Civil Code Commission ..................... 114 Case study: Lawyers and morality ................................... 115

Chapter 14


Legal Positivism

Law and politics ......................................................................... 117Arguments for legal positivism ................................................. 118 A. Separability thesis .................................................... 118 B. Is-ought fallacy ......................................................... 119Arguments against legal positivism ......................................... 119Austin’s command theory of law ............................................... 119H.L.A. Hart’s rule of recognition ............................................... 120Dworkin’s theory of adjudication .............................................. 121 Rules and principles .......................................................... 121Soft positivism ........................................................................... 122Hard positivism .......................................................................... 122 Case study: Nuremberg trials ........................................... 123

Chapter 15


Legal Realism

Legal Realism ........................................................................... 125Legal instrumentalism .............................................................. 126Natural law and legal realism................................................... 126Legal formalism and legal realism............................................ 126Discretion thesis ......................................................................... 127

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Prediction theory of law ............................................................. 127Judicial legislation ..................................................................... 128Case study: Estrella Alfon and the fi rst obscenity trial in the Philippines .............................................................. 129 Paul Hopkinson’s fl ag burning case in New Zealand ...... 130

Chapter 16


Legal Formalism

Legal Formalism ........................................................................ 131Intentionalism and Textualism ................................................. 132 Case study: Cayetano v. Monsod ...................................... 133 Case study: Flag salute law .............................................. 135

Chapter 17

Various Moral Approaches

Ethical Relativism

Relativism ........................................................................... 137 Criticism ........................................................................... 139Lessons on Relativism ............................................................... 140

Chapter 18

Various Moral Approaches

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism ........................................................................... 141Utilitarianism and authority..................................................... 142Act and Rule utilitarianism ....................................................... 143 A. Act utilitarianism ..................................................... 143 B. Rule utilitarianism ................................................... 143Utilitarianism and law .............................................................. 144 Criticism ........................................................................... 145

Chapter 19

Sociology of Law

Functions of Law

Functions of law ......................................................................... 148 A. Social control ............................................................. 148 B. Dispute resolution .................................................... 148 C. Social change ............................................................. 149

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Chapter 20

Sociology of Law

Social Theories of Law ............................................................... 150A. Eugen Ehrlich (1862-1922) ............................................... 150B. Émile Durkheim (1858-1917) ........................................... 151C. Max Weber (1864-1920) .................................................... 151D. Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) ............................................. 152E. Neo-Marxist views of law (1960’s) .................................... 152

Chapter 21

Sociology of Law

Theories Why Law Came Into Being

A. Consensus theory .............................................................. 153B. Confl ict theory ................................................................... 154

Chapter 22

Types of Justice

Introduction ........................................................................... 156Justice as character and rule of action ..................................... 157Types of justice ........................................................................... 157 1. Utilitarian justice ..................................................... 157 2. Retributive justice .................................................... 158 3. Restorative justice .................................................... 158 4. Distributive justice ................................................... 158 Case study: Ynot v. Intermediate Appellate Court ................................................ 162

Chapter 23

The Legal Philosophers

Plato ................................................................................... 163Theory of forms .......................................................................... 166Intuition ................................................................................... 166

Chapter 24


Aristotle ................................................................................... 168Good ............................................................................................ 170

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Doctrine of the mean .................................................................. 170Hexis (Habit) ........................................................................... 170Virtues ................................................................................... 171Law and equity ........................................................................... 171

Chapter 25


St. Thomas Aquinas ................................................................... 173

Chapter 26


Thomas Hobbes .......................................................................... 176

Chapter 27


John Locke .................................................................................. 179

Chapter 28


Charles de Montesquieu ............................................................ 182

Chapter 29


Jean Jacques Rousseau ............................................................. 185

Chapter 30


Immanuel Kant .......................................................................... 188

Chapter 31


Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel ................................................ 191Case study: Term of offi ce of the president .............................. 192

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