L. Lindahl – författare

The present study which I have subtitled A Study in Law and Logic was prompted by the question of whether an investigation into law and legal systems could lead to the discovery of unrevealed fundamental patterns common to all such systems. This question was further stimulated by two interrelated problems. Firstly, could an inquiry be rooted in specifically legal matters, as distinct from the more usual writings on deontic logic? Secondly, could such inquiry yield a theory which would nevertheless embrace a strict and simple logical structure, permitting substantive conclusions in legal matters to be deduced from simple rules governing some basic concepts? Before the development of deontic logic, W. N. Hohfeld devoted his efforts to this question at the beginning of this century. However, with this exception, few jurists have studied the interrelation between law and logic projected in this way. Nevertheless, two great names are to be found, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Jeremy Bentham-both philo­ sophers with legal as weIl as logical training. Bentham's investigations of logical patterns in law have only recently attracted attention; and as for Leibniz, his achievements are still almost totally unexplored (his most important writings on law and logic have not even been translated from Latin). My initial interest in the question was evoked by Professor Stig Kanger. Although primarily a logician and philosopher, Stig Kanger has been interested also in the fundamentals of legal theory.

This book presents papers read at the Conference on Legal Theory and Philosophy of Science, held at Lund, December 11-14,1983. The main idea of the conference was to arti- culate, to test, and to apply scientific rationality with regard to the domain of law and legal reasoning. Although. very different views were presented, the general impres- sion is that this idea may have some future, as it yielded many surprising and stimulating discussions in Lund. The editors express their gratitude to Torsten S5der- bergs och Ragnar S5derbergs Stiftelser, Marianne och Marcus Wallenbergs Stiftelse, Craffoordska Stiftelsen, Swensonska Fonden, Einar Hansens Forskningsfond, Svenska Institutet and Lunds Universitet for subsidizing the con- ference. We also express gratitude to Lund University for help of various kinds, including free rooms, assistance with copying materials, and thousands of other necessary things. We thank all people whose work made the conference possible, first of all Mr.Roland Sch5tt who during a long period acted as the secretary of the Organizing Committee, Mr.Mats Mattsson and Mrs.Irena Peczenik who helped with so many things necessary for the meetings, and many students and members of the staff of Lund University Law School.

This book presents papers read at the Conference on Legal Theory and Philosophy of Science, held at Lund, December 11-14,1983. The main idea of the conference was to arti- culate, to test, and to apply scientific rationality with regard to the domain of law and legal reasoning. Although. very different views were presented, the general impres- sion is that this idea may have some future, as it yielded many surprising and stimulating discussions in Lund. The editors express their gratitude to Torsten S5der- bergs och Ragnar S5derbergs Stiftelser, Marianne och Marcus Wallenbergs Stiftelse, Craffoordska Stiftelsen, Swensonska Fonden, Einar Hansens Forskningsfond, Svenska Institutet and Lunds Universitet for subsidizing the con- ference. We also express gratitude to Lund University for help of various kinds, including free rooms, assistance with copying materials, and thousands of other necessary things. We thank all people whose work made the conference possible, first of all Mr.Roland Sch5tt who during a long period acted as the secretary of the Organizing Committee, Mr.Mats Mattsson and Mrs.Irena Peczenik who helped with so many things necessary for the meetings, and many students and members of the staff of Lund University Law School.