RSK 3

ohiectixe (pre)e\istcncc. It follows these premises that there is a limit on the right of goxernments to make laws, fhis is not to sa\’ that 'had' laws cannot be itiade and imposed hut that "such laws are defectix e in being xx ronglx’ made and are thus limited or ex en entirelx' lacking in their claim to he ohex ed as a matter of conscience.Mil) I'hough our authors make scant remarks on naturalist theorx'. Laufs includes a reference to Radbruch xxhich is xxorth citing in this conte.xt. Radbruch summarises naturalism as folloxvs (definition italicised): Die Rccht.swissensehaft nui(.x sieh wieder aut die jalirtausendalre genieinsame Weisheit der .\ntike, de.s eliristliehen Mittelalters iind des /.eitalters der .\utkUirung besimien, diifl cs eitt biibcrcs Rccbt gchc uls das Gesetz., cut \aturnrbt, cm Ciottcsrccbt, cti/ I crnimftrccbt, kurz cm uhcigcsctz.licbcs Rccbf, an dem goncssen das i Urccbt L nreebr hlciht, aucb zzcim es mdie Formdcs (icsetzes gegossen ist, - cor dem aticb das aufgrimd dues solcbcs imgcrccbtcu Cicsctzcs gcsprocbcuc L 'rrcil uiebt Rccbtsprccbuug ist. viclmcbr i ureebr." .\n historian xvho xvishes to pnxduce a naturalist image xx ill do so bx’ means of less theoretical language than is usuallv found among theoreticians. Naturalism in theorv must for mx' purposes therefore be conx erted into more accessible premises xx hich can serxe as tools for mx' reconstruction of our authors' x arious concepts of laxx. 'fhus, I argue that the concept of laxx ought to be spoken of as naturalistically constructed xvhen the textual image suggests that (i) the origin of laxx is not contained xx ithin time and space, e.g. emanating from (jod or residing in man's 'reason'; (2) laxv is 'discoxered' or 'rexealed'; (3) laxx is xalid and binding; (4) laxv is unixersal; and (>) xvhen the image is dressed in a 'moral' language suggestixe of there being a right and a xx rong xx Inch is often the case xx hen the ex ents of the years i9^;;-i94S' in Ciermanx’ are discussed, fhis is the background to Radbruch's quote cited aboxe. Significant in this regard is l.aufs' 24

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