About The Workshop
SW 23-Aristotle and Law in the Face of the Changing Problems of the World
(Practical Reason, Justice, and Law in Times of Crisis)
Convenors: Nuno Coelho; Liesbeth Huppes-Cluysenaer
Contact: nunocoelho@usp.br; huppes.uva@gmail.com
Important Dates
Abstract submission deadline: 31 May
Full paper draft submission deadline: 30 June
Abstract
This special workshop aims to explore the contemporary relevance of Aristotle’s legal and political philosophy in light of the changing and increasingly complex problems faced by law in the modern world. While Aristotle is often associated with classical constitutional theory and virtue ethics, his reflections on phronesis, deliberation, justice, equity (epieikeia), and the relationship between law, context, and moral judgment offer powerful conceptual tools for addressing today’s legal challenges.
In the face of global crises—such as democratic erosion, climate change, social inequality, technological transformation, and the fragmentation of public discourse—legal systems are increasingly confronted with situations that exceed the reach of rigid normativity. Courts, administrative bodies, and political institutions must often decide under conditions of uncertainty, conflict, and practical disagreement, where strict rule-application proves insufficient. This workshop invites contributions that examine how Aristotelian thought can illuminate the limits of formal legality and support a more context-sensitive, reasoned, and ethically grounded understanding of law.
Papers may address, among other topics: phronesis and practical reasoning in judicial and administrative decision-making; law, equity (epieikeia), and the problem of exceptional or hard cases; Aristotle on justice, citizenship, and political responsibility in times of crisis; the role of virtue, character, and moral perception in legal institutions; Aristotelian insights into deliberation, rhetoric, and the degradation of public reason; and the reception and reinterpretation of Aristotle in contemporary legal theory.
By bringing Aristotelian philosophy into dialogue with present-day legal problems, the workshop seeks to contribute to the broader discussion promoted by the IVR on “Law in the Face of the Changing Problems of the World”, highlighting how classical thought can still inform normative reflection and legal practice under conditions of uncertainty, political instability, and transformation.
Conceptual Rationale
The contemporary legal landscape is increasingly marked by instability, complexity, and normative tension. Legal systems across the globe face challenges that strain the traditional frameworks of rule-based decision-making: democratic erosion, climate change, deepening social inequalities, rapid technological transformation, and the fragmentation of public discourse. In such contexts, law is often required to respond to situations characterized by uncertainty, moral disagreement, and conflicting values—situations in which the straightforward application of general norms appears insufficient or even inadequate. This scenario invites renewed philosophical reflection on the nature of legal reasoning, judgment, and responsibility.
This special workshop proposes to revisit the legal and political philosophy of Aristotle as a resource for thinking about law under conditions of crisis and transformation. While Aristotle is frequently associated with classical constitutional theory and virtue ethics, his work offers a far richer and more nuanced account of practical reason, justice, and political judgment than is often acknowledged in contemporary legal theory. His reflections on phronesis (practical wisdom), deliberation (bouleusis), equity (epieikeia), rhetoric, and moral perception provide conceptual tools that remain highly relevant for understanding how law operates—and ought to operate—when rigid normativity reaches its limits.
At the core of Aristotle’s practical philosophy lies the insight that human action unfolds in a world of contingency. Practical matters, unlike mathematical or natural phenomena, do not admit of absolute precision. Legal and political reasoning therefore cannot be reduced to deductive applications of universal rules. Aristotle’s insistence that ethical and political inquiry must respect the variability of human affairs challenges modern tendencies to treat law as a closed system of norms insulated from context, judgment, and character. This challenge is particularly pressing today, as legal institutions increasingly confront cases that demand evaluative judgment rather than mechanical rule-following.
One of the central themes of the workshop is the role of phronesis in legal decisionmaking. Aristotle characterizes phronesis as an intellectual virtue oriented toward action, enabling agents to deliberate well about what is good and just in particular circumstances. Unlike theoretical knowledge (epistēmē), phronesis is sensitive to context, experience, and moral perception. In judicial and administrative settings, decision-makers are often required to weigh competing considerations, interpret indeterminate standards, and respond to novel situations not fully anticipated by legislation. Aristotelian practical wisdom offers a framework for understanding such activities not as failures of legality, but as intrinsic features of legal judgment. Closely related to phronesis is Aristotle’s account of equity (epieikeia), which addresses the inevitable gap between general rules and particular cases. Equity, for Aristotle, is not a correction external to law but a fulfillment of its rational purpose, adjusting the application of general norms to circumstances where strict adherence would produce injustice. In contemporary legal systems, debates surrounding exceptional cases, constitutional balancing, proportionality, and discretionary decision-making echo Aristotelian concerns about the limits of universality in law.By foregrounding epieikeia, the workshop invites participants to reconsider how legal systems can accommodate flexibility without descending into arbitrariness.
Another focal point of the workshop is Aristotle’s conception of justice, citizenship, and political responsibility in times of crisis. Aristotle does not treat justice as an abstract ideal detached from political life, but as a virtue embedded in institutional practices and civic relationships. His analyses of distributive and corrective justice, as well as his reflections on the good citizen and the good ruler, raise enduring questions about legitimacy, authority, and responsibility. In contemporary contexts marked by democratic backsliding and institutional distrust, Aristotelian political philosophy can shed light on the ethical dimensions of legal authority and the conditions under which law retains its claim to obedience.
The workshop also seeks to explore Aristotle’s insights into deliberation, rhetoric, and public reason. Aristotle famously recognizes rhetoric as an indispensable component of political and legal life, particularly in contexts of disagreement where demonstrative proof is unavailable. Rather than dismissing rhetoric as mere persuasion, he integrates it into a broader account of practical reasoning oriented toward judgment and collective decision-making. In an era of polarized discourse, misinformation, and the degradation of public reason, revisiting Aristotle’s nuanced understanding of rhetoric may help clarify the relationship between persuasion, truth, and legitimacy in legal and political institutions.
Moreover, the workshop encourages engagement with the reception and reinterpretation of Aristotelian thought in contemporary legal theory. From virtue jurisprudence to theories of practical reason, constitutional interpretation, and environmental justice, Aristotle’s ideas continue to inform—and provoke—modern debates. Contributions may critically assess these appropriations, explore tensions between Aristotelian and modern frameworks, or examine how Aristotelian concepts can be responsibly adapted to pluralistic and rights-based legal orders. By situating Aristotle’s legal and political philosophy in dialogue with present-day challenges, this workshop aims to contribute substantively to the broader theme promoted by International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy: Law in the Face of the Changing Problems of the World. Rather than treating classical thought as a historical artifact, the workshop approaches Aristotle as a critical interlocutor whose reflections on judgment, virtue, and context can illuminate contemporary struggles over legality, justice, and political responsibility. Ultimately, the workshop seeks to foster a richer understanding of law as a practical, ethical, and institutional enterprise—one that operates under conditions of uncertainty and disagreement, yet remains oriented toward reasoned judgment and the common good. In doing so, it highlights the enduring relevance of Aristotelian philosophy for legal theory and practice in times of crisis, instability, and transformation.
Comments for the Editor
Since 2006, Nuno Coelho and Liesbeth Huppes-Cluysenaer have coordinated special workshops on Aristotle at all congresses of the International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (IVR), in close collaboration with scholars from more than twenty countries. This long-standing cooperation has played a central role in sustaining and developing an international research network on Aristotelian philosophy of law.
As a result of this collaboration, they have co-edited several volumes on Aristotle published by Springer, all of which reflect a sustained engagement with Aristotelianlegal and political thought and its relevance to contemporary legal theory. These include:
Aristotle and the Philosophy of Law: Theory, Practice and Justice (Springer, 2013);
Aristotle on Emotions in Law and Politics (Springer International, 2018);
Aristotle on Truth, Dialogue, Justice and Decision (Springer International, 2023).
These volumes are part of Springer’s Law and Philosophy Library or related series and testify to more than two decades of continuous international collaboration on Aristotle and the philosophy of law.
