The Rule of Law and the Problem of Too Many Laws

Date: Friday, April, 11
Time: 7 pm
Location: The Refinery
Emmanuel Anglican (formerly St. James) Church Basement
607 Dufferin Avenue

About this event

The concept and value of the rule of law seems clear, especially in contrast to the rule by those exercising power arbitrarily (often referred to as the “rule by men”). It seems obvious that Canada is a rule of law jurisdiction, while dictatorships and authoritarian regimes are not. However, philosophers, in attempting to understand and articulate this idea, encounter all sorts of problems and perplexities.

In this talk, Jenkins will introduce some of these philosophical perplexities by focusing on Vincent Chiao’s recent discussion of the problem of “hyperlexis” or too many laws. It seems that the sheer number and complexity of rules undermine both the rule of law and our confidence in calling Canada a rule of law jurisdiction. Although Chiao’s own attempt at a solution simply shifts the problem to a different level, he
does point to a temporal complexity with the idea of the rule of law that must be addressed in any account of the rule of law.

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