Seminar with Pedro Moniz Lopes (Universidade de Lisboa)

Generics, Indeterminacy and Superordinate Level Actions

The seminar will be a hybrid meeting. It will be held in room 28 on Grodzka 52, Kraków and Teams on April 06, 2023 (Thursday, 17:30 GMT+1). 

Abstract:

This paper intends to take on inspiration from Claudio Luzzati’s «Principi e principi» and «Elogio dell’indifferenza. La genericità scarnificata» to pursue the rooting of the logical distinction between rules and principles on genericity. Genericity is a puzzling concept. We start with some conceptual apparatus together with basic explanations required to discuss the several theories of generics. Subsequently, some possible logical formalizations and linguistic explanations of generic sentences are reviewed. Some preliminary conclusions regarding generic sentences in assertive speech are then transposed to the directive speech, mainly with the outlining of the structure of propositions over legal principles. Lastly, it is concluded, on the basis of some previous distinctions, that principles are norms endowed with a specific type of defeasibility, one which is different from that of rules.

This research was funded by the Priority Research Area Heritage under the program Excellence Initiative – Research University at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow