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Gordon E. Whitney, "The Legality of Human Rights, Viewed as a Higher Order Dynamic Interpretant", International Journal for the Semiotics of Law / Revue Internationale de Sémiotique Juridique Vol. V (1992), 229-247: This paper shows how Peirce's dynamic interpretant captures the idea of living law. A collection of legal rules such as rights protected under the European Convention of Human Rights rests upon a common foundation which can be viewed as a higher order dynamic interpretant. The exposition follows the pragmatic tradition where legality is seen as doubly embedded: first as a product of history, then as organically connected with the existing social order. Internal analysis of the Convention and its subsequent Protocols, reveals a hierarchical rule structure with a variety of different classes of rules. The historical context is linked to the concept that "crimes against humanity" could be proved, as was found in the trials of the 21 Nazi leaders at Nuremberg (1945-46).



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