法的地方性与法学方法的普世性——读波斯纳《英国和美国的法律及法学理论》

The Regionalism of Law and the Universality of Legal Method——Review on“Law and Legal Theory in the UK and USA”of Richard A.Posner’s

在著作《英国和美国的法律及法学理论》中,波斯纳运用美国法理学、法律经济学对英美两国的法律制度展开比较研究和制度运作研究。从法的地方性视角出发,波斯纳深刻地揭示出了英国法律制度所具有的大陆法系特征,有力地挑战了西欧的法理学传统和盎格鲁—美利坚法律体系的神话;还运用法律经济学对英国的司法实践进行了理论审视,并对英国司法改革进行了整体主义司法哲学层面的反思。这种法学研究方法和法律思想有利于破解中国法学研究视野狭窄和知识理论资源不足的困境,值得中国法学进行学习和借鉴。

In the book Law and Legal Theory in the UK and USA,Posner analyzed British and American legal system by using American jurisprudence and legal economics.From the perspective of the regionalism of law,he profoundly revealed the civil legal system characteristics of British legal system,which challenged the Western jurisprudence tradition and Anglo-American legal system.Also,Posner used legal economics to view the judicial practice in the UK and try to reflect on the British judicial reform from the perspective of the holism of judicial philosophy.This jurisprudence research method and legal thought can crack the dilemma of the narrow vision and the shortage of knowledge and theory on Chinese legal research.Therefore,the method is quite worthy to be learned.