How is progress constructed in International Legal Scholarship?

• Autores: Tilmann Altwicker, Oliver Diggelmann
• Localización: European journal of international law = Journal europeen de droit international, ISSN 0938-5428, Vol. 25, Nº 2, 2014, págs. 425-444
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen

  • There is a tendency in international legal discourse to tell the story of international law as a story of progress. "Progress" is a concept which is tied to the process of secularization and Western 18th and 19th century philosophy. It still inspires the debate on international law - despite all setbacks in "real history". This article argues that progress narratives in the international legal discourse are constructed by - more or less subtle - argumentative techniques. It highlights four such techniques - four "bundles of arguments" - which play a key role: ascending periodization, proving increasing value-orientation of international law, detection of positive trends, and paradigm shift-talk. The article offers an explanation of why the pro gress argument often succeeds in international legal discourse.