Possession: Common Sense and Law

Abstract .
This article is written with a view to clarifying the following points: First, to understand the nature of possession, its origin must be kept in mind. Possession is not a legal invention, it is a pre-legal fact. Second, possession whether in law or in common sense is a de facto control. There is no difference between possession in law and possession in fact. Third, different types of rules and policies of law to deal with possession, do not change the contents of possession. They merely represent the situations in which possession is found under different circumstances.     

论常识主义刑法观

刑法学发展至今貌似精巧,但理论构造似乎离生活常识越来越远,使得理论与公众的规范感觉、认同感觉之间的分歧很大。刑法研究无论走何种道路,可能都面临需要重新思考的问题:在我们的生活当中,哪些是常识性的东西,亦或哪些是生活经验上特别值得重视的东西。刑法学回归常识主义,要重视两个问题:一方面,刑法本身对社会有什么益处?或者刑法的社会功能究竟是什么?另一方面,刑法学回归常识主义,是否有可能性?亦即使刑法学和生活常识接近,或者尽量回归生活常识、尽量让公众能够去认同是否有可能?如果有可能,则其出发点或者基点是什么?常识主义刑法观对于欧陆刑法学会给予特别关注,强调跨文化的刑法趋同性,肯定了通过刑法保护社会中通行的规范关系的重要性。     

The Human Genome as Common Heritage: Common Sense or Legal Nonsense?

This essay identifies two legal lineages underlying the common heritage concept, and applies each to the human genome. The essay notes some advantages and disadvantages of each approach, and argues that patenting of human genes would be allowable under either approach.     

常识、常理在司法中的运用

正确理解常识和常理,对司法裁判具有重大意义。常识和常理属于人们的的经验性知识,具有前理性、非系统性、经验性、大众性乃至客观性等特征。在司法中,常识和常理是法官认识案情、解释法律、展开逻辑推理的前提和基础。法官可以运用常识、常理认定案件事实,检验和校正法律推理。常识和常理还是法官进行法律论证的资源之一。但是,不能过于夸大常识和常理在司法中的作用。     

“常识”与传统中国州县司法——从一个疑难案件(新会田坦案)展开的思考

自晚清变法修律以来,学界多批评传统州县司法的主要弊端是行政兼理司法和与此相关的非专业化司法,现在发现了大量反映传统司法实际运作的司法档案材料,此种观点有了反思的必要和可能。事实上,从传统中国州县司法的实际运作来看,其重点是查清案情和进行判决,起决定作用的是“常识”而非“专业知识”,而且“常识”才是传统地方司法所真正需要的。这种“常识”包括了“律学常识”、官员“伦理常识”和“地方性常识”等部分,从而具有浓厚的主观性、地方性和个人化特征,使得传统地方司法更依赖于官员个体。从司法独立和专业司法的眼光来审视传统是一种时代错位,它忽略了制度与社会需要之间的对应关系,既不利于学术研究,同时也回避了建立现代司法体系的真正阻力所在。     

Theft in Broad Daylight: Racism and Neoliberal Legality

Law and Critique - In this article the author examines Fitzpatrick’s foundational critique of liberal legality and racism, a theme which remained central to his decades-long excavation of...     

常识与理性(十):司法技术与司法政治之法理及其兼容

司法之政治性与其技术性一样,都是司法本身所固有的基本秉性。其中,技术性体现着司法的职业理性,它构成了司法过程的客观方面;政治性折射出司法的价值关怀,它构成了司法过程的主观方面。任何司法过程都包含主客观两个方面,因而也是政治性与技术性的有机统一。基于此,中国司法改革既要避免"泛政治化"倾向,又要反对"去政治化"主张。     

经济法主体制度重构:一个常识主义视角

在经济法主体制度研究中,长期以来存在一个被视为理所当然的理论预设,即法律主体的专属性理论。该理论的核心观点是法律主体与部门法之间具有对应关系,独立的法律部门必然有独特的法律主体。但法律主体的专属性理论本身是对法律主体理论的常识性误读。专属于某一部门法的主体实际上是不存在的,同一个主体因参与的法律关系不同,会享有不同的权利义务,从而成为不同部门法的主体。某一主体成为经济法主体,仅意味着其参与了经济法律关系,并不是指该主体本身为经济法所独有。换言之,经济法主体只是该主体因从事经济法中特定行为而呈现的一种角色而已。基于此,我们不能从主体的具体形态而只能从角色角度来界定经济法主体的含义及类型,经济法主体由此可被分为管理主体与被管理主体两类。每类主体身份的获得,均应根据其从事的法律行为的属性来具体识别。     

刑事案件事实认定的常识、常理、常情化

刑事案件事实认定是刑法司法活动的一项极其重要而又复杂的内容。刑事案件事实认定的常识、常理、常情化,是刑事案件事实认定符合经验法则的直接体现。运用常识、常理、常情可以对刑事案件的客观事实包括关键情节或重要情节和因果关系进行认定,也可以对刑事案件的主观事实包括罪过形式、犯罪倾向和犯罪动机等进行认定。刑事案件事实认定之所以应该常识、常理、常情化,是因为常识、常理、常情本来就是人们日常生活的行为规则或指引,故刑事案件事实认定的常识、常理、常情化能够在一种方法论和价值论中确保刑事案件事实认定以及以之为基础的刑事裁判的正当性。     

广义所有制和狭义所有制──兼论所有制概念的残缺

广义的所有制概念,指生产条件的分配,即包括物质生产条件的分配, 和人身的生产条件,即劳动力的分配;狭义的所有制,专指物质的生产条件的分配。 长期以来,我们无视广义所有制概念,单纯把生产资料公有制视为社会主义生产方式 的基础,回避劳动力归个人所有这一事实,从残缺的所有制概念出发推演一切,陷入 形而上学。只有正视社会主义下“生产条件的分配”内含的公与私、社会与个人的矛 盾,从广义所有制内含的矛盾出发对现实进行逻辑分析,才能走向真理。     

The Due Diligence Standard and the Prevention of Racism and Discrimination

Netherlands International Law Review - The due diligence standard has played a significant role in preventing human rights violations, including racial discrimination. Yet, it is significantly...     

The EU's Role in the Fight Against Racism and Xenophobia: Evaluation and Prospects After Amsterdam and Tampere

The Treaty of Amsterdam has strengthened thepossibility of the European Union (EU) adoptingmeasures in the fight against racism and xenophobia.These can be based both on the extendednon-discrimination clause of Article 13 TEC and newArticle 29 TEU relating to common action in thecontext of the area of freedom security and justice.So far EU action has concentrated on public awarenessmeasures, increasing the exchange and the analysis ofinformation on racism and xenophobia, and improvingjudicial cooperation and cross-border training in thisarea. The scope of EU action continues to be limited,however, because of the absence of a `mainstreamingclause', very limited funding and structural deficitsin the decision-making system. Both the new AmsterdamTreaty provisions and the renewed emphasis placed onthe fight against racism and xenophobia by the TampereEuropean Council of October 1999 should be used forextending the EU's role in this area which is ofcrucial importance to its credibility as a politicalcommunity.     

The Relationship Between Crime and Electronic Gaming Expenditure: Evidence from Victoria, Australia

Gambling in Australia is a significant economic activity. Expenditure on its many forms is sizeable and has undergone sustained periods of expansion. At the same time, the structure of the gambling industry has undergone substantial change, with the use of gaming facilities in local hotels and licensed clubs now representing one of the most predominant forms of gambling. Despite this, and the extensive international literature on the relationships between gambling and crime, there have been relatively few studies which examine the local area effects of gaming establishments on crime in Australia. This study uses a unique set of data from the Australian state of Victoria, a region in which local area expansion of gaming networks has been considerable since 1991, to investigate the relationship between gaming machine expenditure and various types of crime in 1996, 2001 and 2006. One particular focus is that of income-generating crime, defined here as theft, fraud, breaking and entering, forgery, false pretences, larceny and robbery. After controlling for a host of statistical issues, our results indicate a consistent positive and significant relationship between gaming and crime rates, especially income-generating crime rates, at the local level.     

Managing Reactions to Performance Appraisal: The Influence of Multiple Justice Mechanisms

Despite the potential for conflict in performance appraisal, researchers have devoted little time and attention to justice concerns when studying this process. The present study used scenarios to investigate the effect of distributive, procedural, and interactional justice mechanisms on responses to performance appraisal reviews. Results suggest that multiple justice mechanisms in the same context may interact to influence perceptions of fairness, satisfaction, and commitment. Practical implications for conducting performance reviews in organizations are discussed.     

Understanding Perceptions of Racism in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: The Roles of System and Group Justification

The present study examined perceptions of racism in events that occurred during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina among a community sample of New Orleans area residents. Drawing on system justification theory, we examined system justification motives (i.e., meritocracy beliefs) and group justification motives (i.e., group identity) as predictors of perceptions of racism among African Americans and European Americans. Compared to African Americans, European Americans perceived much lower levels of racism in Katrina-related events. Furthermore, meritocracy beliefs were negatively related to perceptions of racism among both African Americans and European Americans. However, private regard (a component of group identity) was positively related to perceptions of racism among African Americans, but negatively related to perceptions of racism among European Americans. The results suggest that both system and group justification motives independently predict perceptions of racism in an important real-world event. Furthermore, system and group justification motives appear to operate in opposition for African Americans, but in tandem for European Americans.     

权力格局与宪政

在前近代 ,欧洲和英属北美殖民地长期存在着多元权力格局 ,由此孕育了宪政的诸多要素 ;而在中国 ,道统和相权都不能有效地制约皇权 ,形成了皇权专制的一元权力格局 ,这是近代中国宪政失败的重要原因。