The Anthology of Swiss Legal Culture

 

Cluster "Philosophy of Law and General Jurisprudence"

 

3^rd Section "Legal Structures as an Integrative Part of Cultural Phenomenons, leading to an Inter­disciplinary Approach as Part of the Theory of Science"

 

Entry 3.1 "Max Rümelin, Erlebte Wandlungen in Wissenschaft und Lehre"

 

Selected, Elaborated and Discussed by Michael Walter Hebeisen

 

 

 

Author: Max Rümelin

 

Title: Erlebte Wandlungen in Wissenschaft und Lehre, Rede gehal­­­ten an der akademischen Preisverteilung am 6. November 1930

 

Edition(s): Tübin­­gen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1930, 77 pp.

 

 

 

[Introduction]

 

The last important writing by Max Rümelin provides a comprehensive portrayal of the development from the so-called “Begriffsjurisprudenz”, based on the Pandect movement, to the “Interessenjurisprudenz” by Philipp Heck in German jurisprudence. “Freirechtsschule” and “Gefühlsjurisprudenz” are also part of the argument. In the long run, particularities of national cultures and of specific legal orders tend to be overcome: “Man verlangt bei jeder dogmatischen Arbeit, die sich nicht lediglich mit der Einzeltechnik des einheimischen Gesetzes befasst, sondern grundlegende Frage, sei es der Methodologie, sei es der Interessenwertung in Angriff nimmt, die rechtsvergleichende Orientierung”.

 

 

 

[Content, Abstracts]

 

The arguments, put forward by Max Rümelin, are worth to be read altogether even today and cannot easily be condensed to abstracts.

 

 

 

[Conclusions, Insights, Evidence]

 

There is a very interesting statement, made by Max Rümelin, concerning the so-called “Methodenstreit” in German jurisprudence: “Ein zweiter Fortschritt liegt in dem grossen Aufschwung, den die von der historischen Schule lange zurückgedrängte rechtsphilosophische Betrachtungsweise genommen hat. Der Streit über die Methoden der Rechtfindung musste notwendig zur Erkenntnislehre und Rechtsphilosophie führen. In derselben Richtung hat, wie schon oft, die Bewegung gewirkt, in die die Geister durch die Stürme des Kriegs und der Revolution versetzt warden. [...] Mit dem Dilettantismus früherer Zeite, der sich häufig auf einen allein auserkorenen Philosophen festlegte, kommt man nicht mehr durch”. Debates about methods are often some kind of catalysator that enables diffused ideas to condensate and to find to their felicitous form. A third consequence of methodological discussions can be found in inter-disciplinary co-ordination and co-operation, for instance between jurisprudence and economics, or early political science. Interesting conclusions are made towards the end of the lecture with respect to academic teaching and scientific research. Apparently, the number of students in jurisprudence goes back in these times, when Rümelin speaks out the following warning: “Der Übelstand des Massenbetriebs in den Übungen muss rückhaltlos anerkannt werden. Man darf sich da nicht einfach mit dem Gedanken trösten wollen, dass der augenblickliche Hochstand der Frequenz bald wieder nachlassen werde. Denn es werden immer noch genug Juristen übrig bleiben, um eine Überfüllung der Praktika, namentlich der guten, herbeizuführen. [...] Die einzige Abhilfe liegt in dem Ausbau des Assistentenwesens”.

 

 

 

[Further Information About the Author]

 

Max Friedrich Gustav von Rümelin, born on 15 February 1861 in Stuttgart, died on 22 July 1931 in Tübingen, was chancellor of the University of Tübingen between 1908 and 1931, after having been nominated as a rector of the same institution already two years before and was an ordinary professor since 1895. Before being engaged in southern Germany he was already a professor for jurisprudence, roman law and civil procedural law at the Martin Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg. As a member of the “Akademische Gesellschaft Stuttgardia” he participated in the development of a liberalism typical for Baden-Württemberg. In 1930 the received the doctorate honoris causa in theology, 1931 that in political sciences. Especially his academic speeches as a president of his University must have been a must have read lecture for Swiss jurisprudents in this period of time. In particular his last address as a chancellor in 1930, entitled “Erlebte Wandlungen in Wissenschaft und Lehre”, represents a kind of quintessence of past and current specific conceptions of jurisprudence and can serve as a reference for further development.

 

Although not having explicit relations with Switzerland (apart from being an intimate friend of Eugen Huber among others), Max Rümelin deeply influenced Swiss jurisprudence by establishing the so-called “Interessenjurisprudenz” at the University of Tübingen with the eminent exponents of Philipp Heck (he taught there between 1901 and 1928). Not only geographic neighbourhood, but also the fact that a great number of Swiss lawyers have spent some time at the University of Tübingen justifies the selection of some crucial writings of this eminent representative of German jurisprudence of his time.

 

For more information, please refer to:

 

August Hegler: Zum Gedächtnis von Max von Rümelin, Reden gehalten am 6. November 1931, Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1931.

 

 

 

[Selected Works of the Same Author]

 

Max Rümelin: Juristische Begriffsbildung – Akademische Antrittsschrift, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 1878; Idem: Eugen Huber, Rede gehalten bei der akademischen Preisverteilung am 6. Novem­ber 1923, Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1923; Idem: Rechtsgefühl und Rechts­bewusst­sein, Rede gehalten bei der akademischen Preisverteilung am 6. November 1925, Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1925; Idem: Reden und Aufsätze, Tübingen: H. Laupp, 1875.

 

 

 

[For Further Reading]

 

Nikolas Hasslinger: Max Rümelin (1861–1931) und die juristische Methode (Beiträge zur Rechtsgeschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts, vol. 81), Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 2014;

 

Max Rümelin: Eugen Huber, Rede gehalten bei der akademischen Preisverteilung am 6. Novem­ber 1923, Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1923.

 

 

 

2 November 2017                                                                       Michael Walter Hebeisen