允执厥中:情理在古代法官法律发现过程中的作用

On the Function of Reason in the Process of Legal Discovery of Ancient Judges

情理在古代司法语境中具有常理、情感和事实三重意义,儒家价值观念和思维方式已经渗透于古代法官法律发现的过程中,法官综合情理进行裁判,在多数情况下可以实现审判的内在一致性和裁判结果的相对确定性。通过考察古代司法过程中法官的法律适用情况,发现情理与法律之间并非互斥关系,依法裁判是古代律令的严格要求,裁判案件援引律令是法官的重要责任。在不违背法律规定的前提下,法官通过情理运用做到裁判结果的情法兼备,以情理强化释法说理的效果。一方面,法官运用情理解释法律,强化了法律适用的说理过程,增加了裁判过程的教育作用;另一方面,情理也是法官正确寻找裁判规则的重要依据,成为法官在司法过程中进行法律发现的重要资源。

In the ancient judicial context,reason has three meanings:common sense,emotion and fact.Confucian values and modes of thinking have penetrated into the process of the legal discovery of ancient judges.Judges can judge with comprehensive reasoning and in most cases,the internal consistency of judgement and the relative certainty of result of judgement can be realized.By examining the application of law in the ancient judicial process,it is found that there is not a mutually exclusive relationship between reason and law,and that the adjudication according to law is the strict requirement of ancient laws and decrees,and it is the judge’s important duty to invoke laws and orders in judging cases.On the premise of not violating the legal provisions,the judge can make the judgment result combine reason with law through the use of reason to strengthen the effect of law interpretation and reasoning.On the one hand,the judge interprets the law with reason to strengthen the reasoning process of the application of the law,and increase the educational function of the judicatory process.On the other hand,the reason is also the important basis for the judge to find the judicial rules correctly and becomes an important resource for the judge to carry on legal discovery in the judicial process.