The Discord between the Rule of Law and Justice

Abstract

Modern legal philosophy is caught in a frame where it is forced to accept the discord between the rule of law and justice. The return of justice in legal philosophy is unachievable without reconciliation with the Rule of Law. Keeping legal philosophy of reconciliation in mind, this paper provides an overview how we can reduce the tension between the rule of law and justice. Through the introspective reflection on the weak and impoverished state modern legal philosophy finds itself in, this paper attempts to characterize the tendency of the question of justice being marginalized in the environment of legal positivism which is the product of the combination of scientific rationality and legal knowledge. Firstly, the autonomy of the actor as the subject being replaced by the autonomy of the legal system resulting in a kind of mechanism design, secondly, legal perception of form being contrasted to substance, thirdly, the problem of legal professionalism in which all views from outsiders are discounted, fourthly, by separating legal knowledge from political and social power encroaching upon laws potential emancipatory ability, fifthly, the clash between the Rule of Law and democracy.