Axiomatic method and the law

Whether an axiomatic approach to law is possible and useful today has to be perceived as unanswered. Perception of the axiomatic method among lawyers, however, is clouded by misunderstanding. Clarifying them may generate new discussion about the axiomatization of legal theories

Free will, robots, and the axiom of choice

There are quite a number of similarities between the moral concept of choice and the mathematical axiom of choice. These similarities shed light on how to adapt law to solve cases that arise with the increasing “autonomy” of robots

Two years COVID-19 pandemic: Development of university students' mental health 2020–2022

BackgroundThe literature indicates a negative impact on the mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It remains unclear if this negative impact persists even after lockdown measures are lifted. The current study therefore investigates the mental health status of students by drawing on two previous studies the present study seeks to investigate differences in the mental health status across three time points.MethodsA cross-sectional, anonymous online survey among students of six universities was conducted between April and May 2022 (N = 5,510). Symptoms of depression, anxiety, hazardous alcohol use and eating disorders as well as social and emotional variables were assessed utilizing standardized instruments. Risk- and protective factors for severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms were investigated using multiple regression models. Differences in e.g., symptoms of depression across three time points were assessed with one-way analysis of variance.ResultsMore than one third of students exhibited clinically relevant symptoms of depression (35.5%), hazardous alcohol use (33.0–35.5% depending on gender) or anxiety disorder (31.1%). Taken together, almost two out of three (61.4%) students reported clinically relevant symptoms in at least one of the aforementioned symptom patterns, while almost one fifth of students reported suicidal ideation or thoughts of self-harm (19.6%). Higher perceived stress and loneliness significantly predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms, while resilience and social support were identified as protective factors. Compared to 2020 and 2021, levels of depressive symptoms were significantly reduced in 2022, levels of hazardous alcohol consumption showed a small but significant increase from 2021 to 2022. Worryingly, prevalence of suicidal ideation was the highest yet, being significantly higher than in 2020 (14.5%) and 2021 (16.5%).ConclusionThese results confirm previous results that the pandemic had and still has a negative impact on the mental health of university students. The present study broadens this view by the fact that some areas seem to recover quicker, while others seem to increase worryingly. Especially the persistent rise in suicidal ideation from 2020 to 2021 and to 2022, a constant reduction in reported social support and associated perceived loneliness is concerning. The claim for low-threshold and accessible mental health support for university students remains the same as in the beginning of the pandemic

Die Nachfahren der culpa im Wirtschaftsstrafrecht

Im folgenden Vortrag geht es – kurz gesagt – um Fahrlässigkeit im Wirtschaftsstrafrecht. Der etwas sperrigere und kryptischere Titel wird sogleich erklärt werden. Vor allem – im Hauptteil – werden Überlegungen zu Aspekten des Deliktsaufbaus und der Klassifikation von Deliktstypen vorgetragen. Solche Überlegungen sollten immer einen funktionalen Bezug besitzen; dieser wird im abschließenden Ausblick skizziert. Er behandelt zunächst zwei Probleme von Fahrlässigkeitsdelikten, die eng miteinander verbunden sind und letztlich einen einheitlichen Gegenstand bilden; Stichworte hierzu sind das Verbot, Unmögliches zu verlangen, und Toleranz. Die Überlegungen schließen mit einigen Bemerkungen zur Digitalisierung