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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO LEGAL PHILOSOPHY “Amidst the cross currents and shifting sands of public life the 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 defines equity as fairness, impartiality and evenhanded dealing; the “body of principles constituting what is fair and right; natural law.” 2 The 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 definition of law is as difficult as the search for the Holy Grail.
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LEGAL PHILOSOPHY FOR FILIPINOS: A CASE STUDY APPROACH
The term law comes from Old English lagu (pl. laga) meaning ‘something laid down or fixed.’ 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 defines 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 defines 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 specific
Cicero, Laws. St. Thomas Aquinas, Treatise on Law, Gateway edition, p.3. 5 Romans 7:23. 6 Aquinas, supra. 7 Id. 8 Nilo v. Court of Appeals, 128 SCRA 524. 3 4
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO LEGAL PHILOSOPHY
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and concrete sense it is a ‘rule of conduct, just, obligatory, formulated by legitimate power for common observance and benefit.’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 influence peddling or buying their way to victory. These are the misguided ones, and true law would have no place for them.
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Lapitan v. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, 60 O.G. 6841; 4 C.A.R. (2s)
704. 10 C.G. Weeramantry, The Law in Crisis: Bridges of Understanding, Capemoss, London, 1975, p.3.
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 No portion of this book may be copied or reproduced in books, pamphlets, outlines or notes, whether printed, mimeographed, typewritten, copied in different electronic devices or in any other form, for distribution or sale, without the written permission of the authorized representative of the publisher except brief passages in books, articles, reviews, legal papers, and judicial or other official proceedings with proper citation. Any copy of this book without the corresponding number and the authorized signature of the author on this page either proceeds from an illegitimate source or is in possession of one who has no authority to dispose of the same. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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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 confide 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 neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily 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 baffled 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 first ‘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 deficient in legal research: where would he find 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 signification, 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 vii
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 flicker must always reflect 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 find 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. TABUCANON School of Law Macquarie University – Sydney 14 March 2011
[email protected]
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CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction to Legal Philosophy I.
Introduction ....................................................................... A. Law ........................................................................... B. Dissatisfaction with the law? ................................... C. Are the following subject to the rule of law? ........... D. Philosophy ................................................................. The Baby Theresa Case ................................... E. Uses of Philosophy .................................................... F. Legal Philosophy ....................................................... G. Five schools of jurisprudence ................................... Naturalism ....................................................... Positivism ......................................................... Realism ............................................................. Formalism ........................................................ Critical Legal studies .......................................
1 1 3 4 5 7 10 12 14 14 14 15 15 16
Chapter 2 Nature of Law I.
II.
Law as rules and process .................................................. A. Law as rules .............................................................. B. Law as process .......................................................... Common characteristics of law ......................................... A. Obedience .................................................................. B. Generality ................................................................. C. Promulgation ............................................................ D. The rule of law .......................................................... Case Study: Comparison between poor and excellent legal systems ............................................................. E. Is international law true law? .................................. Case study: Adolf Eichmann case ................... ix
17 17 18 19 19 20 21 22
23 24 27
III. Law within religious dogma and tradition ...................... A. Code of Hammurabi .................................................. B. John Calvin ............................................................... C. Inquisition ................................................................. IV. Law and religion ................................................................ A. Jewish law ................................................................. 1. Torah................................................................. 2. Mishnah ............................................................ 3. Responsa ........................................................... Human rights in Jewish law............................................. B. Islamic law ................................................................ Human rights in Islamic law ............................................ C. Canon law.................................................................. Human rights in canon law .............................................. Case studies: Intersection of law and religion ........ V. Law as custom ................................................................... A. Savigny’s doctrine of the historical school............... B. Ehrlich’s sociological approach into the nature of law .................................................... Case study: The Katarungang Pambarangay .........
28 28 29 30 31 31 31 32 32 33 34 36 37 38 40 43 43 44 46
Chapter 3 Ends and Effects of Law Full Development of the Human Personality A. B.
Aristotle ..................................................................... Aquinas .....................................................................
49 51
Chapter 4 Ends and Effects of Law Justice Significance of justice................................................................. Aristotle on justice ..................................................................... Other definitions of justice ........................................................ Justice of obedience to a higher law.......................................... Social justice ........................................................................... Case study: Calalang v. Williams .....................................
53 54 55 56 57 57
Chapter 5 Ends and Effects of Law Wisdom and Law as Heuristic A.
What is wisdom ................................................................. x
58
Case study: Abraham Lincoln........................................... B. Plato’s view of law and wisdom ........................................ Law as heuristic .........................................................................
60 60 63
Chapter 6 Ends and Effects of Law Equity Equity ......................................................................................... Case study .................................................................................. Equitable principles in international environmental law ....... 1. Common but differentiated responsibilities ............ 2. Sustainable development ......................................... 3. Intergenerational equity .......................................... Case study: Oposa v. Factoran .................................
65 68 68 68 69 70 71
Chapter 7 Ends and Effects of Law Human Rights Human Rights ........................................................................... Historical development .............................................................. Concept of humanity .................................................................. Human rights instruments........................................................ Case study: Primicias v. Fugoso .......................................
73 74 75 77 78
Chapter 8 Ends and Effects of Law Equality Equality 1. 2. 3.
................................................................................... Common humanity ................................................... Moral capacities ........................................................ Equality in unequal circumstances ......................... Case study: Villacencio v. Lukban ...........................
80 82 82 83 83
Chapter 9 Ends and Effects of Law Equal Access Before the Law Equal Access Before the Law .................................................... xi
85
Positive discrimination .............................................................. Case study: Domestic helpers in Singapore .....................
86 87
Chapter 10 Ends and Effects of Law Liberalism Concept ................................................................................... Negative and Positive liberalism .............................................. Case study: Chua-Qua v. Clave ........................................ Case study: Contract law and liberalism .........................
89 90 91 92
Chapter 11 Ends and Effects of Law Morality Concept ................................................................................... Morality and law ........................................................................ Case study: Genocide in Rwanda ..................................... Morality and good manners....................................................... Case study: Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King...............................................................
93 94 94 97 97
Chapter 12 Kinds of Law A. B. C.
Overview ........................................................................... Divine and human law ...................................................... Natural and positive law .................................................. Case study: Kripak case .................................................... D. Criminal and civil law ....................................................... 1. Criminal law ............................................................. 2. Civil law .................................................................... Common and civil law systems ................................................. A. Common law.............................................................. B. Civil law .................................................................... Advantages and disadvantages ................................................. Role of the judge in common and civil law systems ................. A. Adversarial system ................................................... B. Inquisitorial system ..................................................
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98 99 101 102 104 104 107 108 108 108 109 109 109 109
Chapter 13 Legal Philosophy Schools of Thought Natural Law Theory Natural Law Theory .................................................................. A. Ius naturable ............................................................. B. Overlap thesis ........................................................... C. Positivist view of law ................................................ Case study: Antigone ................................................ Arguments for natural law ........................................................ Arguments against natural law ................................................ Report of the Philippine Civil Code Commission ..................... Case study: Lawyers and morality ...................................
111 111 112 113 113 114 114 114 115
Chapter 14 Legal Philosophy Schools of Thought Legal Positivism Law and politics ......................................................................... Arguments for legal positivism ................................................. A. Separability thesis .................................................... B. Is-ought fallacy ......................................................... Arguments against legal positivism ......................................... Austin’s command theory of law ............................................... H.L.A. Hart’s rule of recognition ............................................... Dworkin’s theory of adjudication .............................................. Rules and principles .......................................................... Soft positivism ........................................................................... Hard positivism .......................................................................... Case study: Nuremberg trials...........................................
117 118 118 119 119 119 120 121 121 122 122 123
Chapter 15 Legal Philosophy Schools of Thought Legal Realism Legal Realism ........................................................................... Legal instrumentalism .............................................................. Natural law and legal realism................................................... Legal formalism and legal realism............................................ Discretion thesis.........................................................................
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125 126 126 126 127
Prediction theory of law ............................................................. Judicial legislation ..................................................................... Case study: Estrella Alfon and the first obscenity trial in the Philippines .............................................................. Paul Hopkinson’s flag burning case in New Zealand ......
127 128 129 130
Chapter 16 Legal Philosophy Schools of Thought Legal Formalism Legal Formalism ........................................................................ Intentionalism and Textualism ................................................. Case study: Cayetano v. Monsod ...................................... Case study: Flag salute law ..............................................
131 132 133 135
Chapter 17 Various Moral Approaches Ethical Relativism Relativism ........................................................................... Criticism ........................................................................... Lessons on Relativism ...............................................................
137 139 140
Chapter 18 Various Moral Approaches Utilitarianism Utilitarianism ........................................................................... Utilitarianism and authority..................................................... Act and Rule utilitarianism....................................................... A. Act utilitarianism ..................................................... B. Rule utilitarianism ................................................... Utilitarianism and law .............................................................. Criticism ...........................................................................
141 142 143 143 143 144 145
Chapter 19 Sociology of Law Functions of Law Functions of law ......................................................................... A. Social control ............................................................. B. Dispute resolution .................................................... C. Social change............................................................. xiv
148 148 148 149
Chapter 20 Sociology of Law Social Theories of Law ............................................................... A. Eugen Ehrlich (1862-1922) ............................................... B. Émile Durkheim (1858-1917) ........................................... C. Max Weber (1864-1920) .................................................... D. Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) ............................................. E. Neo-Marxist views of law (1960’s) ....................................
150 150 151 151 152 152
Chapter 21 Sociology of Law Theories Why Law Came Into Being A. B.
Consensus theory .............................................................. Conflict theory ...................................................................
153 154
Chapter 22 Types of Justice Introduction ........................................................................... Justice as character and rule of action ..................................... Types of justice ........................................................................... 1. Utilitarian justice ..................................................... 2. Retributive justice .................................................... 3. Restorative justice .................................................... 4. Distributive justice ................................................... Case study: Ynot v. Intermediate Appellate Court ................................................
156 157 157 157 158 158 158 162
Chapter 23 The Legal Philosophers Plato ................................................................................... Theory of forms .......................................................................... Intuition ...................................................................................
163 166 166
Chapter 24 The Legal Philosophers Aristotle ................................................................................... Good ............................................................................................ xv
168 170
Doctrine of the mean.................................................................. Hexis (Habit) ........................................................................... Virtues ................................................................................... Law and equity...........................................................................
170 170 171 171
Chapter 25 The Legal Philosophers St. Thomas Aquinas ...................................................................
173
Chapter 26 The Legal Philosophers Thomas Hobbes ..........................................................................
176
Chapter 27 The Legal Philosophers John Locke..................................................................................
179
Chapter 28 The Legal Philosophers Charles de Montesquieu ............................................................
182
Chapter 29 The Legal Philosophers Jean Jacques Rousseau .............................................................
185
Chapter 30 The Legal Philosophers Immanuel Kant ..........................................................................
188
Chapter 31 The Legal Philosophers Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel ................................................ Case study: Term of office of the president ..............................
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