Legal Theory

Logic as an Inherent Principle of International Law and its Consequences for International Adjudication

Gabriel Lentner
Gabriel Lentner
Dieter Krimphove
Dieter Krimphove
Category:

Articles

Region:

Austria, Germany

Field of law:

Legal Theory

Collection:

Conference Proceedings IRIS 2015, Peer Reviewed – Jury LexisNexis Best Paper Award of IRIS2015

Citation: Gabriel Lentner / Dieter Krimphove, Logic as an Inherent Principle of International Law and its Consequences for International Adjudication, in: Jusletter IT IRIS

Judgments of international courts and tribunals are characterised by meticulous application of legal methodology, in particular the various forms of norm interpretation and analogy. Additionally however, it is also modes of logical inference which are at play and must be considered when law is applied in courts. These are being applied and handled so naturally by judges and analysts that their correct employment is not being reviewed with recourse to the strict rules of formal logic. The present paper demonstrates for the first time the importance, relevance and effects of logic in international law. It lays out the doctrinal grounds for its application in international law with a view to international jurisprudence and elaborates on the legal consequences of logical fallacies therein. It shall be argued here that logic is an inherent principle of public international law and that a breach of the rules of logical inference calls into question the very value, understanding, plausibility and acceptance of judicial reasoning. As a result, errors in logic may constitute a valid ground for the revision of a judgment pursuant to art. 61 of the ICJ Statute.

Table of contents

  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Definition of Logic
  • 3. Logic as an inherent Principle of International Law
  • 4. (Selected) Legal Consequences of Logic in International Law
  • 5. Selected Logical Fallacies in the Case Law of the ICJ
    • 5.1. Fallacy of the Quaternio terminorum
    • 5.2. Logic in Argumentation
  • 6. Conclusion
  • 7. References
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