El presente y el futuro del Derecho Natural: una conversación con Robert P. George

El artículo presenta una inédita entrevista al Profesor Robert P. George (Universidad de Princeton, Estados Unidos) realizada con el fin de acercar a académicos procedentes de países no anglosajones, una visión panorámica de los principales temas que actualmente son objeto del debate jurídico y político desde una perspectiva no continental. Como se desarrolla en el texto, el ámbito anglosajón ha recuperado la desacreditada noción de derecho natural, a través de la Nueva Escuela del Derecho Natural. A través de esta nueva visión del derecho natural, Robert P George presenta una clara defensa de derechos e instituciones que actualmente se encuentran atacados por la tiranía de "lo políticamente correcto". George por medio la poderosa fuerza de la verdad y por medio de una clara y exquisita argumentación, invita a su interlocutor -sea en las aulas o a través de sus obras- a pensar por sí mismos sin miedo a poner en tela de juicio incluso las ideas y convicciones más profundas. Esto porque si como consecuencia del diálogo recibo luces nuevas que desconocía, puedo rectificar y se acercarme así a una verdad más plena. Si, por el contrario, recibo explicaciones poco fundamentadas o si el razonamiento adolece de fallos lógicos, me servirá para fortalecer las propias ideas, que deben presentarse siempre con la apertura de quien no se considerar infalible. Asimismo se analiza detenidamente la naturaleza del derecho natural, tal como lo entiende la Nueva Escuela de Derecho Natural, en cuya escuela se inscribe como uno de sus principales figuras. Presenta también las críticas de las que, con cierta frecuencia, esta nueva escuela es objeto. Resulta por ello un texto iluminador para juristas y filósofos interesados en conocer de primera mano los principios de la Nueva Escuela de Derecho Natural, aún poco difundida en la tradición continental. aspecto de gran interés es su exposición de la metodología que, a su entender, debe guiar la interpretación constitucional. Para juristas no interiorizados del todo en la tradición del Common Law anglosajón, resulta muy esclarecedora su explicación acerca del modo en que deben proceder los jueces en la resolución de los casos. Estos deben limitarse, indica Robert P George, al papel que la Constitución les ha atribuido: aplicar la ley, tal cual ésta es. De este modo, ante la frecuente tendencia a convertirse indirectamente en legisladores, alerta que ese modo de proceder supone violar la Constitución que han jurado defender. Un tema que se trata en extenso, es el del papel de la religión en la vida pública. Si bien nuestro autor prefiere utilizar argumentos de razón en su defensa de valores, se trate de la protección de la vida humana en todas sus instancias, del matrimonio como la unión de un varón y una mujer abierto a la vida, de la defensa de la libertad, etc. deja claro que la religión constituye una instancia con pleno derecho a participar aportando conocimientos y valores en favor del bien común socio-político, tal como lo han hecho muchas de las figuras más relevantes de la historia de los Estados Unidos. De este modo, no aboga por la neutralidad en el esfera pública, como tampoco apoya un gobierno sacro. Aboga, por una sociedad no sólo “civil” sino “civilizada”, es decir aquella en la que cada ciudadano puede manifestar con sus palabras y su conducta el propio modo de ver las cosas, en un ámbito de respeto mutuo que no se identifica con un relativismo. Sí se espera que cada ciudadano al presentar su ideas o conductas, sea capaz de dar razón de ellas, ya sea desde una perspectiva secular o religiosa.This article presents an unpublished interview with Professor Robert P. George (Princeton University, USA) with the aim of reaching out to scholars from non-Anglo-Saxon countries in order to offer a comprehensive view of the main issues currently being debated by legal and political scholars from a non-continental viewpoint. The text shows how a significant number of Anglo-Saxon scholars have recovered the discredited notion of natural law, through the so-called “New School of Natural Law”. With this new approach to natural law, George presents a clear defense of rights and institutions currently confronted by the tyranny of “the politically correct”. One powerful aspect of this new School includes the elaboration of arguments and counter-arguments to one’s own position. In this way, George invites his participant –whether in the classroom or through his dialectical works– to think for him or herself without fear of questioning even one’s deepest ideas and convictions. As a consequence of this thought process, one is able to receive new lights and, thus, rectify and reach a more complete truth. If, on the contrary, one has unsupported explanations or reasonings with logical fallacies, the method will strengthen one’s personal ideas, which must always be presented with the openness of those who do not consider themselves infallible. The main topic of this article is a detailed analysis of the natural law, as understood by the “New School of Natural Law”, in which George is inscribed as one of its main protagonists. It also presents the criticisms of which this New School is frequently the object. It should be therefore an enlightening text for jurists and philosophers interested in knowing first¬hand the principles of this School, still not widespread in the continental tradition. Another aspect of interest is the exposition of the methodology that, according to George, should guide Constitutional Interpretation. For jurists not fully internalized in the tradition of Anglo-Saxon Common Law, his explanation of how judges should proceed when resolving different cases is insightful. The judges must be limited, says George, to the role that the Constitution has assigned to them: to apply the law as is. Thus, Given the frequent tendency for judges to indirectly become legislators, he warns that this mode of proceeding presupposes frequent violations of the Constitution that they have sworn to defend. Another topic extensively argued is the role of religion in public life. Although George prefers to make use of rational arguments in his defense of values (among them the protection of human life in all its instances, marriage as the union of a man and a woman open to life, or the defense of freedom, etc.), he makes it clear that religion has the right to participate in public life by contributing its knowledge and values in favor of the socio-political common good as many important figures have done in the history of United States. Hence, George does not advocate neutrality in the public sphere, nor does he support the opposite extreme: a “sacred public square”. He supports a society that is not only “civil” but also “civilized”, that is to say, a society in which every citizen can manifest his words and/or his ideas and beliefs in an ambiance of mutual respect. Such a society believes that every citizen not only has the right to think, to believe and to live according to his views, but also is able to give reasons for them, whether from a secular or religious perspective

Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties

Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ecological groups. This global dataset contains 10,840 sites, with 184 species, from 60 countries and all continents except Antarctica. The data were obtained from 182 published articles, published between 1973 and 2017, and 17 unpublished datasets. Amalgamating data into a single global database will assist researchers in investigating and answering a wide variety of pressing questions, for example, jointly assessing aboveground and belowground biodiversity distributions and drivers of biodiversity change.Peer reviewe

The T2K experiment

The T2K experiment is a long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. Its main goal is to measure the last unknown lepton sector mixing angle θ13 by observing νe appearance in a νμ beam. It also aims to make a precision measurement of the known oscillation parameters, and sin22θ23, via νμ disappearance studies. Other goals of the experiment include various neutrino cross-section measurements and sterile neutrino searches. The experiment uses an intense proton beam generated by the J-PARC accelerator in Tokai, Japan, and is composed of a neutrino beamline, a near detector complex (ND280), and a far detector (Super-Kamiokande) located 295 km away from J-PARC. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the instrumentation aspect of the T2K experiment and a summary of the vital information for each subsystem