Description
What does it mean to know the law? And what does it take to do so? Is legal knowledge something that may truly obtained, kept and disseminated? Do we know ourselves in knowing the law? How do we relate to each other based on this knowledge? Do we trust each other when it comes to legal knowledge? Can we know the law better than others subjected to it? Can we make better use of the law based on more intimate knowledge? And does the law know itself? These and related questions are at the very core of Alexander Somek’s wide-ranging and influential work. This book honours his achievements. Professor Somek is internationally renowned for his contributions to legal philosophy, constitutional law and European Union law. He developed a distinctly post-positivist approach to legal theory and wrote extensively on the concept of legality and the theory of legal knowledge. He is also a prolific scholar and writer on constitutional issues in the context of globalisation and de-nationalisation. Knowing the Law invites a group of leading scholars in legal theory, philosophy and political science to celebrate and recognise these contributions, reflecting on how the lasting impact of Professor Somek’s thinking on contemporary legal theory and philosophy. True to the interdisciplinary nature of his work, the contributors do not confine themselves to legal analysis, but also engage extensively with philosophy, political theory and history.