The sorites paradox and vagueness phenomena in the language of law Cover Image

Paradoks różnic minimalnych a nieostrość języka prawnego
The sorites paradox and vagueness phenomena in the language of law

Author(s): Sławomir Piekarczyk
Subject(s): Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Law
Published by: Stowarzyszenie Filozofii Prawa i Filozofii Społecznej – Sekcja Polska IVR
Keywords: vagueness; language of law; sorites paradox; weighing the rightness

Summary/Abstract: In order to make a legal text more flexible, the lawmaker is enacting in its content the vague predicates. Provisions with such predicates are applied by the courts that are forming their content in every specific case depending on the case facts. This paper’s purpose is to explain an issue of the vagueness, point out and compare the varieties of vagueness in legal texts specified by A. Marmor and T. Gizbert-Studnicki and at last try to apply law’s vague predicates – anchored and not anchored in definite numbers – to the sorites paradox which is immanently associated with the vagueness phenomena.

  • Issue Year: 14/2017
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 90-101
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish