Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique

Hannant, Tom

doi:10.1017/S1352325225100748

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Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique

Tom Hannant

Legal Theory, Volume: 31, Issue: 3, Pages: 215 - 247

Swansea University Author: Tom Hannant

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© The Author(s), 2025. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1017/S1352325225100748

Abstract

This article proposes that theoretical debates over the Rule of Law can be revitalised through careful focus on methodology. First, it contends that the prevalent methodology of theory-construction is a rationally reconstructive form of conceptual analysis which makes deadlock practically inescapabl...

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Published in:	Legal Theory
ISSN:	1352-3252 1469-8048
Published:	Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2025
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70199

first_indexed	2025-08-19T13:28:20Z
last_indexed	2025-10-15T04:40:50Z
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spelling	2025-10-14T16:08:02.4127904 v2 70199 2025-08-19 Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique 8440687b440806d2c3827841ab60becc 0000-0002-7372-9965 Tom Hannant Tom Hannant true false 2025-08-19 HRCL This article proposes that theoretical debates over the Rule of Law can be revitalised through careful focus on methodology. First, it contends that the prevalent methodology of theory-construction is a rationally reconstructive form of conceptual analysis which makes deadlock practically inescapable. The methodology requires the invocation of deeply controversial conceptual cross-references: to reconstruct vague intuitions about the Rule of Law, theories are compelled to invoke other concepts over which deeply engrained disagreements persist. Second, turning to the possibility of overcoming or mitigating deadlock through critical argument, it argues that the capacity of critique to pose meaningful challenges to rival theories turns on its treatment of its target’s conceptual cross-references. Dissonant critique, which is premised on the rejection of a rival theory’s defensible conceptual cross-references, is seldom productive. Internal critique, which proceeds from rival theories’ conceptual cross-references, poses more meaningful challenges and is more philosophically productive. Journal Article Legal Theory 31 3 215 247 Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1352-3252 1469-8048 25 9 2025 2025-09-25 10.1017/S1352325225100748 COLLEGE NANME Hillary Rodham Clinton Law School COLLEGE CODE HRCL Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2025-10-14T16:08:02.4127904 2025-08-19T14:09:02.0802933 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law Tom Hannant 0000-0002-7372-9965 1 70199__35282__4844a60a8e7a4cb491755577a825cc12.pdf deadlock_in_rule_of_law_theory_and_the_potential_of_internal_critique.pdf 2025-10-08T13:17:27.9296137 Output 493760 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s), 2025. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique
spellingShingle	Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique Tom Hannant
title_short	Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique
title_full	Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique
title_fullStr	Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique
title_full_unstemmed	Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique
title_sort	Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique
author_id_str_mv	8440687b440806d2c3827841ab60becc
author_id_fullname_str_mv	8440687b440806d2c3827841ab60becc_***_Tom Hannant
author	Tom Hannant
author2	Tom Hannant
format	Journal article
container_title	Legal Theory
container_volume	31
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institution	Swansea University
issn	1352-3252 1469-8048
doi_str_mv	10.1017/S1352325225100748
publisher	Cambridge University Press (CUP)
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department_str	Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law
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description	This article proposes that theoretical debates over the Rule of Law can be revitalised through careful focus on methodology. First, it contends that the prevalent methodology of theory-construction is a rationally reconstructive form of conceptual analysis which makes deadlock practically inescapable. The methodology requires the invocation of deeply controversial conceptual cross-references: to reconstruct vague intuitions about the Rule of Law, theories are compelled to invoke other concepts over which deeply engrained disagreements persist. Second, turning to the possibility of overcoming or mitigating deadlock through critical argument, it argues that the capacity of critique to pose meaningful challenges to rival theories turns on its treatment of its target’s conceptual cross-references. Dissonant critique, which is premised on the rejection of a rival theory’s defensible conceptual cross-references, is seldom productive. Internal critique, which proceeds from rival theories’ conceptual cross-references, poses more meaningful challenges and is more philosophically productive.
published_date	2025-09-25T05:30:14Z
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score	11.089386

Deadlock in Rule of Law Theory and the Potential of Internal Critique

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