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How is Progress Constructed in International Legal Theory?

Altwicker, T. and Diggelmann, O.. (2014) How is Progress Constructed in International Legal Theory? European Journal of International Law, 25 (2). pp. 425-444.

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Abstract

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.
Faculties and Departments:02 Faculty of Law > Departement Rechtswissenschaften > Ehemalige Einheiten Rechtswissenschaften > Ordinariat öffentliches Recht, insb. Europarecht (Breitenmoser)
02 Faculty of Law > Departement Rechtswissenschaften > Ehemalige Einheiten Rechtswissenschaften > Titularprofessur Völker- und Staatsrecht (Peters)
UniBasel Contributors:Altwicker, Tilmann
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Oxford University Press
ISSN:0938-5428
e-ISSN:1464-3596
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Language:English
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edoc DOI:
Last Modified:08 Nov 2017 11:40
Deposited On:06 Oct 2016 09:09

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