Risque, confiance et autorité. Quelles utilisations des sciences dans la jurisprudence de l’Union européenne et dans l’application du principe de précaution ?
(2024) Revue de la Faculté de droit de l’Université de Liège — n° 1, p. 55-95 (2024)
Files
20240327_2_152334.pdf
Open Access - Adobe PDF
- 406.96 KB
Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- Focusing on the concepts of risk, trust, and authority, this article provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the use of scientific arguments in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice and its application of the precautionary principle. The first part, centered on the philosophy of law and science, aims to theorize the epistocratic use of science in law. It examines how actors strategically employ scientific arguments to establish « objective » facts, steering clear of or framing political and « subjective » debates. Recognizing a lack of legal conceptual boundaries in the face of epistocratic argumentation, the article suggests the form of a mandate, transparent and revocable, to transition from an authority-based relationship to trust in science, in line with a constructivist philosophy of science and positioning. The second part, focused on legal technique and sociology of law, empirically analyzes how the Court of Justice uses scientific arguments. Despite a conducive context, the Court tends to (strategically) avoid external expertise and the incorporation of scientific arguments in its reasoning. Finally, the article introduces the precautionary principle, which more structurally integrates scientific arguments, thus preventing their instrumentalization.
- Affiliations
Citations
Walckiers, P. (2024). Risque, confiance et autorité. Quelles utilisations des sciences dans la jurisprudence de l’Union européenne et dans l’application du principe de précaution ? Revue de la Faculté de droit de l’Université de Liège, 1, 55-95. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/256202 (Original work published 2024)