The Anthology of Swiss Legal Culture

 

Cluster "Philosophy of Law and General Jurisprudence"

 

2^nd Section "Legal Methodology and Scientific Character of Jurisprudence, or: Contro­versy Between Positivism and Natural Law, Between Monism and Dualism, and the Pluralist Alternative of Human Studies"

 

Entry 2.12 "Oscar Adolf Germann, Überwindung des Rechtspositivismus"

 

Selected, Elaborated and Discussed by Michael Walter Hebeisen

 

 

 

Author: Oscar Adolf Germann

 

Title: Zur Überwindung des Positivismus im schweizerischen Recht – Geschichtlicher Rückblick und kritische Stellungsnahme zu den Methoden der Rechtsfindung

 

Edition(s): in: Probleme und Methoden der Rechtsfin­dung, Bern: Stämpfli & Cie., 1965, pp. 307-342; erstmals in: Zeitschrift für Schweizerisches Rechts, Centenarium 1852-1952, pp. 99-140

 

 

 

[Introduction/Historical Situation and Systematic Context]

 

In occasion to the Centenary of the famous “Journal for Swiss Law” in 1952, Oscar Adolf Germann presented an essay that discusses the overcome of legal positivism in retrospect. The arguments are structured in historical observations and in critical considerations.

 

 

 

[Content, Abstracts/Conclusions, Insights, Evidence]

 

According to Oscar Adolf Germann, positivism has been mainly favoured in the course of the great codifications of legal order and based on the pretention of the monopoly of the codified law as the only source of positive legal order. This could only be possible on the basis of the assumption of the seclusive character of the legal order as a holistic system. On the contrary, the legislator was held as omnipotent instance to positivise valid law. As the outcome of this exaggerations has not proved to be neither satisfying nor desirable. In consequence, the conviction grew especially in France, which the so-called école de l’éxegèse had to be overcome, and François Gény founded a new paradigma of legal interpretation (in his writings “Méthode d’interprétation” and “Science et technique en droit privé positif”). In Germany, the Historic School of law had already discovered the positivistic attitude as limited and the so-called quarrel on methods, as prosecuted by the diverse currents of legal thought (“Richtungsstreit”) had evolved more sophisticated concepts of legal interpretation. As for the development in Switzerland, that in a high degree depended on the evolution abroad (compare the contributions by Eugen Huber and Walther Burckhardt to this question; see nos. 1.4 and 2.1 of this Legal Anthology, as well as the introduction in no. 1.1 of this Legal Anthology). “Wie sich ergibt, ist die Judikatur unseres Bundesgerichts weit über den formalen Gesetzespositivismus hinausgekommen, ohne prinzipiell den Boden des positiven Rechts zu verlassen”. Thereby is identified an important and basic ambiguity of legal practice.

 

According to the valuation by Oscar Adolf Germann, Neo-Kantianism has contributed a great deal to overcome positivism in practice This negative conclusion is to be somewhat attenuated insofar as the change of factual circumstances is considered to be as of great importance in Swiss legal thought. In this situation, the author stresses the certainty of judicial decisions as well as the equality before the law as main achievements of the overcoming and surpassing of legal positivism.

 

 

 

[Further Information About the Author]

 

Oscar Adolf Germann, born 19 August 1889 in Frauenfeld, died 1 December 1979 in Bottmingen, followed his jurisprudential studies in Germany and Austria, before obtaining his doctorate at the University of Zurich in 1914. Afterwards he joined the federal administration and was a lecturer for labour legislation at the University of Berne. Between 1930 and 1960, he was ordinary professor of penal law at the University of Basel. From 1952 to 1961, he was chief editor of the “Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Strafrecht”. He also persecuted a notable career in the Swiss Army.

 

 

 

[Selected Works of the Same Author]

 

Oscar Adolf Germann: Grundlagen der Rechtswissenschaft – Einführung in deren Probleme, Methoden und Begriffe, Bern: Stämpfli, 1950; Idem: Präjudizien als Rechtsquelle – Eine Studie zu den Methoden der Rechts­findung, in: Acta Instituti Upsaliensis Iurisprudentiae Comparativae, vol. 2, Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiskell, 1960; Idem: Probleme und Methoden der Rechtsfindung, Bern: Stämpfli, 2. ed. 1967; Idem: Grundsätze der Gesetzesauslegung, in: Zeitschrift für Schweizerisches Recht, N. S. vol. 43, pp. 193-215, Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn, 1924; Idem: Impera­tive und autonome Rechtsauffassung, in: Zeitschrift für Schweizerisches Recht, N. S. vol. 46, Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn, 1927, pp. 183 ss.; Idem: Präju­dizielle Trag­weite höchstinstanzlicher Urteile, insbesondere der Urteile des schweize­rischen Bundesgerichts – Ein Beitrag zu den grundsätzlichen Fragen der Rechtsfindung, in: Zeitschrift für Schweizerisches Recht, N. S. vol. 68, pp 297-332, 423-456, Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn, 1949; Idem: Méthodes d'interprétation et problèmes fonda­men­taux du droit (Faculté de Droit de l’Université de Montpellier, 1957), in: Probleme und Methoden der Rechtsfindung. Bern: Stämpfli & Cie AG, 1965, pp. 377 ss.; Idem: Pro­blematik der Rechtsverbindlichkeit und der Rechtsgeltung, in: Probleme und Methoden der Rechtsfin­dung, Bern: Stämpfli & Cie., 1965, pp. 17 ss. (first printing in: Revue Hélvetique de Droit International, vol. 1965); Idem: Neuere Judikatur des Schweizerischen Bundesge­richtes zur Frage der Gesetzes­aus­legung nach den Vorarbeiten, insbe­son­dere nach dem darin geäus­serten Willen des Gesetzgebers, in: Zeitschrift für Schweizerisches Recht, N. S. vol. 81/ I, pp. 207-243, Basel: Helbing & Lichtenhahn, 1962.

 

 

 

[For Further Reading]

 

Oscar Adolf Germann: Präjudizien als Rechtsquelle – Eine Studie zu den Methoden der Rechts­findung, in: Acta Instituti Upsaliensis Iurispru­den­tiae Comparativae, vol. 2, Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiskell, 1960.

 

 

 

13 November 2017                                                                     Michael Walter Hebeisen