JKU Master Class in Law by Prof. Robert Alexy

The first master class in interdisciplinary law titled “Gerechtigkeit als Richtigkeit” by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Robert Alexy took place in February at the JKU Linz.

Prof. Alexy is one of today’s more important legal philosophers. His theory on fundamental rights and legal argumentation has significantly influenced both the legal debate as well as legal practices and his work has been translated into many languages. As part of a master class, 24 junior researchers from a total of eleven universities in Germany and Austria had an opportunity to discuss fundamental legal questions about the law with Prof. Alexy and present their current research.

Real and Ideal Dimensions of Law
Prof. Alexy’s main lecture titled “Gerechtigkeit als Richtigkeit” discusses the ideal and real dimensions of law. According to Prof. Alexy, since the law has a dual nature, it necessarily asserts a claim to correctness. Whereas the real dimension of law requires that issues come together lawfully and the social effectiveness of legal rules, Prof. Alexy attributes the claim to correctness to the ideal dimension of law. Legal correctness means justice in terms of distribution and equalization. As there are different ideas regarding the content justice in society, Prof. Alexy considers the guarantee of a democratic discourse as key to reaching decisions that are ultimately acceptable to everyone in society. Democratic discourse, on the other hand, can only be possible under the conditions of equality and freedom, and therefore presupposes fundamental rights which - to Prof. Proxy - mean positive human rights.

Interdisciplinary Law
The master class in Interdisciplinary Law at the JKU was also an opportunity for junior researchers to share, present, and get feedback on their current research. This first master class gave seven junior researchers in various legal fields an opportunity to present their work:

  • Vom Wesen und Wert der Demokratietheorie von Hans Kelsen, Malte Feldmann (Goethe University Frankfurt a.M.)
  • Die (Wieder-)Entdeckung Radbruchs – Zur Wichtigkeit des Wahrheitssinnes für den demokratischen Rechtsstaat, Lando Kirchmair (Paris Lodron University Salzburg/Bundeswehr University Munich)
  • Besteuerung als Grundlage für Demokratie und Rechtsstaat, Martin Sumper (Karl Franzens University Graz)
  • Kollektives Unrecht und individuelle Schuld, Tobias Beinder (University of Hamburg)
  • Informationelle Privatheit als moralisches Recht, Christian Aldenhoff (University of Passau)
  • Gleichheit und Reziproke Anerkennung. Die Forderung nach Anerkennung im Lichte des Gleichheitsgrundsatzes, Maria Lee (University of Vienna)
  • Beweismaßbegriff im Asylrecht, Manuel Neusiedler (JKU Linz)

The master class in Interdisciplinary Law at the JKU was created and organized by Assoc. Univ. Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Greif (Institute for Legal Gender Studies), Assist. Prof. Dr. Stefan Schumann (Institute of Penology) and Dr. Karin Bruckmüller (Institute of Penology).