3 / 2023 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS 7
vide orientation about how to explain the world and guidance on how to deal with it . For us lawyers , the term “ law ” is of course key . We have chosen it for the Annual Assembly because it is a good way to build a bridge : a term that can be used to link different perspectives and also show that they are sometimes more similar than different .
Legal laws , however , are created in a completely different way to those of the natural sciences . Voßkuhle : Yes , democratic law is the end product of a parliamentary process . Lawyers spend a lot of time thinking about why laws are actually valid , what makes them normative , why do we obey them . When we think of law in a modern constitutional state we have reinforcement bodies such as the police and courts . However , it is interesting that there are decisions which are respected even without bodies such as constitutional courts . We are thus dealing with a vibrant subject which immediately loses its apparent clarity when we give it more thought .
Can the idea of a given “ natural law ” act as a bridge between legal and scientific laws ? Voßkuhle : That is what we believed for a long time : The idea of something divine that one can recognise and translate into a law has a long tradition . However ,
Patrick Joseph Siegle ( Freiburg im Breisgau / Germany ), Maryana Yaremko ( Hamburg / Germany ) and Vivian Oktay Yurdakul ( Wuppertal / Germany ) ( from left to right ) received a travel grant to attend the Annual Assembly . The grants were awarded for the first time to young scientists and have allowed the lawyer , Germanist and historian to network in person in Halle ( Saale ). This was funded by the Friends of the Leopoldina Academy and the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen and Halbach Foundation .
Image : Markus Scholz | Leopoldina
at the very latest with the emergence of analytical philosophy at the beginning of the 20th century , the idea of such a law of nature became problematic . In Germany , it experienced a renaissance after the atrocities of the Nazi regime ,
Andreas Voßkuhle . and the question was whether there may not also be positive laws that are unjust because they violate the idea of justice .
In the famous formula of Gustav Radbruch , that which is evidently unjust cannot be right . After German reunification , this line of argument was used again with regard to sentencing guards posted along the Berlin Wall , whose actions were legally permitted in the GDR . Although we live in a secular society , we believe that we can recognise injustice . In this respect , there is still a remnant of natural law within our legal system . Here , too , we recognise that the concept of law is a term that opens up basic questions of philosophy and theology .
How important to your topic are the laws of religion , ethics and morality ? Kablitz : Very important . We have seen that the meaning of the term of “ setting ”
laws also fits the modern concept of natural laws . Here , development has caught up with the old meaning of the word . In Greek mythology , it is the consilium of the gods in Olympus that “ sets ” the laws of nature . Samwer : In the past , scientists also attributed things they could not explain to higher powers . Voßkuhle : Historically , many things are connected to the term “ law ” that could seem unscientific and unconsidered today . From this perspective also , it is a good topic for a scientific academy .
Despite all the differences between research subjects , research methods and scientific cultures , is there something that unites all the sciences ? Samwer : We are united by the realisation that we only understand part of reality . For this reason alone , science needs lively , open , and fearless debate across all disciplines . Voßkuhle : I also believe that dealing with a lack of knowledge is a common challenge ; despite all our differences , it is part of our scientific approach . The fact that we can never explain everything fully and have to deal with uncertainties is a basic consideration that should lead to a certain amount of humility . Kablitz : I completely agree . Unfortunately , there are two hurdles that stand in the way of the required humility . Psychologically , researchers are more motivated by the prospect of ground-breaking insights , and our language seduces us into as-
Andreas Kablitz .
suming facts . We should be aware of both these things .
■ THE INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED BY ADELHEID MÜLLER-LISSNER
Annual Assembly “ Law ( s ): Rules of Reality – Rules for Reality ”