Cambridge Scholars Publishing Historical and Philosophical Foundations of European Legal Culture

This ambitious book examines the historical, theoretical, and axiological foundations of European legal culture, and explores their practical impacts on current European law and legal ways of thinking in Europe. Including considerations about the history of law as well contemporary legal issues, the book consists of seven chapters authored by scholars from across the globe, from Italy to Taiwan. This volume shows that it is possible to speak of one European legal culture in terms of various countries’ common legal origins (Roman law, Greek philosophy, and medieval jurisprudence as the ius commune), while also discussing distinct national legal cultures and traditions in Europe. However, to understand the present day law and legal profession, it is necessary to go back to the values, theories, and thinkers which were influential in the progress of European law from ancient times to the 19th century. The book not only presents the theoretical and historical issues of European legal culture, but also acquaints the audience with the true axiological foundations of our contemporary legal institutions, and the methods of legal thinking in Europe. It is clear that many of our current legal concepts and institutions come from theorists such as Aristotle, Ulpian, Aquinas, Hobbes and Savigny. The book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of legal history, jurisprudence, and European law, especially in the context of the origins of European legal culture. Moreover, it will also appeal to all lawyers working in both the common law and the civil law traditions wishing to gain a greater understanding of European legal heritage. About the Author Dawid Bunikowski received his Doctor of Law degree from Nicolaus Copernicus University in 2009, and is a part-time Lecturer in Law at the University of Eastern Finland. He previously worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the University of Eastern Finland Law School from 2013 to 2015, and acted as Vice-Dean at the Torun School of Banking between 2009 and 2011. His research interests include law and morality, legal theory, law and religion, legal pluralism, and the EU’s legal and political system. He has authored a book on enforcement of morality by law (2010) and co-edited books on European integration (2008) and legal pluralism (2009). He is Distinguished Academic Associate of the Centre for Law and Religion at the University of Cardiff and Associate Member of the Council for Research in Values and Philosophy at the Catholic University of America. He is also Fellow of the Institute for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Finland.