The Wor(l)d of the Law

Legal Texts and World Creation

Abstract

Given that they are fundamentally linguistic phenomena, legal texts allow for hermeneutical and ontological uncertainty in their interpretation. Utilising the framework of speech act theory, Derrida’s “Declarations of Independence” provides a good example of how linguistic performativity works on the legal-political level. A set of legal texts create a legal discourse which we deem binding, but which can equally be regarded as an “autonomous” or “possible world.” In possible worlds theory, the discourse and worldview created by legal texts is only one of the many ways to interpret and make sense of reality.