"Utilitas" in Roman Jurists’ Legal Interpretation

Unter Mitarbeit von Dagmara Lata (transl.)

"Utilitas" in Roman Jurists’ Legal Interpretation

Unter Mitarbeit von Dagmara Lata (transl.)

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Planned release date: 04/2025

This study offers a comprehensive analysis of utilitas, a central concept in Roman law, and its pivotal role in shaping legal interpretation. Moving beyond its traditional view as a merely pragmatic tool, utilitas is shown to guide legal outcomes that not only address practical needs but also align with broader ethical values of righteousness and justice. It argues that a complete understanding of utilitas in legal reasoning – both in meaning and function – can only be achieved by synthesizing jurisprudential, philosophical, and rhetorical perspectives. Through this interdisciplinary lens the book demonstrates that decisions made utilitatis causa, exceptional in their departure from established legal rules, can only be fully understood through the lens of rhetorical theory of legal interpretation, offering a framework that transcends the limitations of literal interpretation. Contributing to ongoing scholarly discourse in Roman law, legal theory, and philosophy, this study provides fresh insights into a concept that remains central to contemporary discussions of legal interpretation and justice.

Series Potsdamer altertumswissenschaftliche Beiträge
Volume 88
ISBN 978-3-515-13668-6
Media type Book - Paperback
Edition number 1.
Copyright year 2025
Publisher Franz Steiner Verlag
Length 262 pages
Illustrations 2 b/w figs., 7 b/w tables
Size 17.0 x 24.0 cm
Language English