Neoconstitutionalism, Rights, and Natural Law

Rights are, without a doubt, the most outstanding feature of contemporary legal systems. It can be argued that since the middle of the past century we are immersed in a culture of rights. Neo-constitutionalism is one among other such concepts that has been used to designate and study this phenomenon. The hypothesis we will attempt to address in this paper is that some of the central characters of our culture of rights, here termed as “neo-constitutionalism,” cannot be explained consistently without an explicit reference to natural law. We will specifically examine the connection between the assertion that there exist natural law principles of justice and the following characteristics of our culture of rights: a) the recognition of rights; b) the reference of state or national legal systems to supranational legal systems; c) constitutions as a result of a network of principles and rules; d) the principle of proportionality; and e) the principle of reasonableness. While the first three characteristics constitute the structure of any neo-constitutional practice, the two latter ones are features of the processes of legal reception and legal allocation of rights in such a legal practice. This paper aims to show that, ultimately, identifying, explaining, and understanding each and all of these five characteristics of contemporary legal culture depends upon the existence of a normative resort that goes beyond the legal culture itself

Legal Positivism's Answers to the Neoconstitutionalist Challenge

State of the art about legal positivism contemporary debate in Civil law countries

Neoconstitucionalism, Rights and Natural Law

Rights are, without a doubt, the most outstanding feature of contemporary legal systems. It can be argued that since the middle of the past century we are immersed in a culture of rights. Neoconstitutionalism is one among other such concepts that has been used to designate and study this phenomenon. The hypothesis we will attempt to address in this paper is that some of the central characters of our culture of rights, here termed as “neoconstitutionalism,” cannot be explained consistently without an explicit reference to natural law. We will specifically examine the connection between the assertion that there exist natural law principles of justice and the following characteristics of our culture of rights: a) the recognition of rights; b) the reference of state or national legal systems to supranational legal systems; c) constitutions as a result of a network of principles and rules; d) the principle of proportionality; and e) the principle of reasonableness. While the first three characteristics constitute the structure of any neo-constitutional practice, the two latter ones are features of the processes of legal reception and legal allocation of rights in such a legal practice. This paper aims to show that, ultimately, identifying, explaining, and understanding each and all of these five characteristics of contemporary legal culture depends upon the existence of a normative resort that goes beyond the legal culture itself.Fil: Cianciardo, Juan Carlos Mariano. Universidad Austral. Facultad de Derecho. Departamento D/filosofia D/derecho y Derecho Constitucional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Neoconstitucionalismo

The word 'neoconstitutionalism' presented wants to offer a very synthetic information about the origin, development and dissemination of ‘neoconstitucionalist’ doctrine. As a part of the interpretative turn of the past and present century, the doctrine is developed, on the one hand, as a critique of doctrinal positions as the 'positivism' or 'formalism' and, on the other hand, as a reflective philosophical doctrine toward potentialities offered by the large number of rights and values recognized in the constitutional texts which are produced from the second postwar. The entry, emphasizing the theoretical features of neoconstitutionalism, wants to present briefly also the motives and the reasons behind its development, showing the theoretical, moral and political implications. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.20318/eunomia.2016.3284La presente voz sobre ‘neoconstitucionalismo’ trata de ofrecer una mirada sintética acerca del origen, desarrollo y difusión de la doctrina neoconstitucionalista. El término neoconstitucionalismo es manifestación del giro interpretativo que surgió a finales del pasado siglo y que se desarrolló, por un lado, como una crítica teórica hacia posturas doctrinales de tipo ‘positivista’ o ‘formalista’ y, por otro lado, como una doctrina filosófica enfocada hacia las potencialidades ofrecidas por el gran número de derechos y valores reconocidos en los textos constitucionales que se van produciendo desde la segunda posguerra. Asimismo, esta entrada, al subrayar los rasgos teóricos del neoconstitucionalismo, quiere dar cuenta brevemente de las razones y motivos detrás de su desarrollo, mostrando sus implicaciones teóricas, políticas y morales. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.20318/eunomia.2016.328

Normativity of law and interpretive approaches : (a discussion on the relation between law and reason)

The debates about the interrelations between reason and law have undergone a change after the eighteenth century. References to the recta ratio of jusnaturalistic tradition have not disappeared, but other comprehensions of legal reason have developed. The European debate over legal positivist science has contributed to this in a manifestation of the rationality of law. This transformation may be considered the basis for the development of true “legal technologies” throughout the twentieth century. On the other hand, in the context of theories of positive law which have taken the relation between ethics and legal reason as a problem, the formation of discourses on coercion (Austin and Holmes), on validity (Kelsen and Hart) and on justification (Alexy and Dworkin) has also contributed to the emergence of new models of legal rationality. In this paper, it is highlighted that the construction of these models is linked to the “points of view” which theories have proposed as legitimate for the interpretation of legal phenomenon. And it is suggested that the discussion over points of view (defined as “focuses”, term which is close to the notion of “attitude”, “stance” or “place of speech”) may aid in the debate on the normativity of law

THE CONSTITUTIONALISATION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL CIVIL RIGHTS AND CHALLENGES OF ITS EFFECTIVENESS: CONSIDERATIONS ON THE MORAL INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

We seek to develop in this work a critical approach about the Constitutionalisation phenomenon of Fundamental Rights nowadays, seeking to understand the challenges surrounding this issue, especially with regard to changes and disruptions promoted by irradiation of constitutional values to the whole legal system.Proposal innovative and with great powers of seduction, especially the possibility of realizing substantial justice and significant progress for social inclusion, we have seen emerge and radiate the expansive effect that the constitutional requirements have acquired, especially in the last 50 years in the face of Constitutionalisation of Fundamental Rights.The force from the Constitution focused mainly on the material and axiological content of constitutional norms, which have to condition the validity and meaning of all the infra-constitutional norms, projecting into the legal system, and in this perspective, moving away than traditionally was known until now as Supremacy of the Constitution, as Kelsen model.On the other hand, we observed that Constitutionalisation of Fundamental Rights significantly approached the contemporary Philosophy, building through constitutional hermeneutics a proposal for rapprochement between law and morals, making mandatory the embodiment of moral content arranged on Fundamental Rights.Thus, we saw the affirmation of a new constitutional interpretation, taking as its starting point the specificity of the Constitution, to present constitutional values with legal force and legal effect. Depending on this new approach, there would be a counterpoint between the "real constitution" (written text of constitutional norms) and the "ideal constitution," playing the first by irradiation values derived from the second.            The legitimating justification for that would be the search for substantial justice to move towards a more appropriate decision, able to promote the necessary social inclusion.However, if it is real the possibility of progress on the path of material justice, and social inclusion, some considerations must be made regarding the impact of anti-positivist thesis in the Constitutionalisation of Fundamental Rights, including: the issue of legal certainty; the formulation of any particularistic and authoritarian decisions; apart from the difficulty of building a moral thesis by the judiciary, able to contemplate the diversity of Justice concepts in an extremely fragmented contemporary society.            These considerations, and others discussed in this text, were the object of our investigations in this work, always with a view to achieve the limit of these theoretical formulations and the risks of a judicial activity extremely subjective and with wide discretion. Our goal in this opportunity was so only promote the necessary reflections from a theoretical point of view, without performing case studies, which will certainly be focused later

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: BETWEEN THE PROPOSED AND THE THINKABLE

ABSTRACT This article deserves to discuss in both the legal and the corporate world the practices adopted by Brazilian companies that seek to disseminate a more democratic working environment, especially respect for differences and prevention policies directed at HIV-positive workers, with a view to Independence of legal predictions consonant with the jurisprudential understandings materialized in the social dynamics. Methodologically, we sought to interpret extensively the constitutional principles, especially the neoconstitutional current and other devices inherent in the Federal Constitution. It was concluded that there are still shortcomings, mainly, regarding the supervision of work environments, demonstrating, therefore, that the constitutional text is emptied when it should be considered as an instrument of preservation and social construction KEYWORDS: Labor Law; Constitutional Guarantees; Neo-constitutionalism. RESUMO O presente artigo se digna a debater tanto no universo jurídico quanto empresarial, as práticas adotadas pelas empresas brasileiras que procuram disseminar um ambiente de trabalho mais democrático, em especial o respeito às diferenças e as políticas de prevenção direcionada aos trabalhadores portadores de HIV, objetivando a independência de previsões legais consonantes aos entendimentos jurisprudenciais materializados na dinâmica social. Metodologicamente, buscou-se interpretar de forma extensiva dos princípios constitucionais, em especial pela corrente neoconstitucional e dos demais dispositivos inerentes na Constituição Federal. Concluiu-se que ainda há insuficiências, principalmente, no tocante à fiscalização dos ambientes de trabalho, demonstrando, portanto, que o texto constitucional se vê esvaziado quando deveria ser tido como instrumento de preservação e construção social   PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Direito do Trabalho; Garantias Constitucionais; Neoconstitucionalismo.

Constitucionalismo e neoconstitucionalismo brasileiro : o “anticonstitucionalismo” do neoconstitucionalismo brasileiro

Na Teoria Constitucional brasileira atual predomina um pensamento jurídico principialista, o qual, dentre outras intitulações, denomina-se Neoconstitucionalismo Brasileiro. Na qualidade de um Moralismo Jurídico alinhado à ideologia política de certa esquerda, o Neoconstitucionalismo Brasileiro disseminou um conjunto de ideias que, a partir de sua influência nos juízes, tem redefinido as concepções jurídicas tradicionais ao Direito brasileiro. Diante desse fato, o objetivo deste estudo é demonstrar o caráter “anticonstitucional” do pensamento jurídico desenvolvido pelo Neoconstitucionalismo Brasileiro. Como será analisado, as ideias político-jurídicas essenciais do Neoconstitucionalismo Brasileiro representam a negação, deliberada e sistemática, das ideias político-jurídicas essenciais do Constitucionalismo, a concepção constitucional adotada pela Constituição Federal de 1988. Portanto, este trabalho revela que o pensamento jurídico do Neoconstitucionalismo Brasileiro promove uma verdadeira “revolução silenciosa” no Brasil. Por ser um estudo de Teoria da Constituição, esta investigação será realizada por meio da confrontação do tipo-ideal da concepção constitucional do Constitucionalismo, com o tipo-ideal da concepção constitucional do Neoconstitucionalismo Brasileiro. Em razão de exigências metodológicas, as análises aqui empreendidas terão como eixo as concepções de Constituição, de Direito e de jurisdição propugnadas pelo Constitucionalismo e pelo Neoconstitucionalismo Brasileiro.In the current Brazilian Constitutional Theory prevails a principialist legal thought, which, among other titles, is called Brazilian Neoconstitutionalism. As a Legal Moralism aligned with the political ideology of certain left-wing beliefs, Brazilian Neoconstitutionalism disseminated a set of ideas that, from its influence on judges, have redefined the traditional legal conceptions of Brazilian Law.That said, the objective of this study is to demonstrate the “anti-constitutional” character of the legal thinking developed by Brazilian Neoconstitutionalism. As will be exposed, the essential political-legal ideas of Brazilian Neoconstitutionalism represent the deliberate and systematic denial of the essential political-legal ideas of Constitutionalism, the constitutional conception adopted by the Federal Constitution of 1988. Therefore, this work reveals that the legal thinking of Brazilian Neoconstitutionalism promotes a true “silent revolution” in Brazil. Being a study of Constitutional Theory, this investigation will be carried out by confronting the ideal-type of the constitutional conception of Constitutionalism, with the ideal-type of the constitutional conception of Brazilian Neoconstitutionalism. Due to methodological requirements, the analyzes undertaken here will focus on the conceptions of Constitution, Law and jurisdiction advocated by Constitutionalism and Brazilian Neoconstitutionalism