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Juricybernetics: Genesis and Structure of a Discipline

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2024

Extract

The discussion about the use of computers in the legal world began the year the cybernetics of Norbert Wiener was born. His fundamental work, Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and in the Machine, was in fact first published in 1948. His suggestion there of legal problems as cybernetic problems probably influenced the article published the following year by Lee Loevinger, in which one found jurimetrics, i.e., the use of computers in the field of law, spoken of for the first time.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1971 Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie / International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP)

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References

1 Lee Loevinger, Jurimetrics, The Next Step Forward, "Minnesota Law Review," XXXIII, 1949, pp. 455 ff.

2 This bibliography, edited by the University of Ratisbon and submitted to the Deutscher Juristentag, 1970, is still in press.

3 Mario G. Losano, Giuscibernetica, in Nuovi sviluppi di sociologia del di ritto, Comunità, Milano 1968, pp. 307-325. Two bibliographies on juricyber netics are appended to the volume.

4 Herbert Lüthy, Die Mathematisierung der Sozialwissenschaften, Arche, Zürich 1970, p. 10 ff.

5 Spiros Simitis, Informationskrise des Rechts und Datenverarbeitung, Müller, Karlsruhe 1970, pp. 161.

6 Mario G. Losano, Sistema e struttura nel diritto. Vol. 1: Dalle origini alla Scuola Storica, Giappichelli, Torino 1968, pp. 302. I have summarized the arguments relating to the transition from legal philosophy to juricybernetics in two articles: The Legal System from Theology to Technology, "Archiv für Rechts- und Sozialphilosophie," still in press; L'informatique et la tradition juridique, in Law, the Computer and Government. Paper from the Bangkok World Conference (September 7th-12th, 1969). Edited by Mario G. Losano, CLUT, Turin 1970, pp. 25-30. [Centro di Giuscibernetica dell'Università di Torino, Booklet no. 1].

7 Ottmar Ballweg, Quelque progrès des recherches dans le domaine: science, prudence et philosophie du droit, "Archiv für Rechts- und Sozialphilosphie," LII, 1966, no. 2, p. 223.

8 This project uses a standard IBM program and has been carried out in collaboration with the Centro Studi IBM at Pisa. An early report on the program's structure is contained in my article Introduzione all'informatica giuridica, "Civiltà delle Macchine," XVII, 1970, n. 6, pp. 22-28.

9 T. E. Hull, Introduction to Computing, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs (N.J.) 1966, pp. 170 ff.

10 For an overview of juricybernetic activity up to 1969, v. my Giusciber netica, op. cit., pp. 52-86 and the readings indicated there. A complete picture of Italian activities now underway is found in "Bulletin no. 4" of the Centro di Giuscibernetica of the University of Turin, 84 pp. On North American activities, ample information is found in the review "Jurimetrics" which replaces the former "Modern Uses of Logic in Law" (MULL), and in "Law and Computer Technology," especially III, 1970, nos. 7-8 (dealing with all continents).

11 Special institutes have appeared in three universities of the German Federal Republic: Frankfurt, Bonn, and Ratisbon. The National Councils of Research in Italy and France are even undertaking teaching projects on juricybernetics. The North American and Canadian situations have not yet been specially researched but many universities offer courses in this material.

12 In Russian the term kibernetika is coming to be used in a different sense than that current in Western European languages. Often, it is synony mous with the English "computational." On cybernetic management of society, cf. several summaries presented and developed at a meeting dedicated to this subject in East Berlin, November 24-26, 1970. These are contained in the review "Staat und Recht," XX, 1971, no. 2, pp. 181-237.

13 For example, an international organization has been founded at Brussels which brings together groups interested in legal information techniques: INTERDOC. The publication of its bulletin has been announced.