CLT Seminar: “On the Nature of Legal Concepts” by Professor James Penner, National University of Singapore

In the seminar “On the Nature of Legal Concepts” held on 16 October 2024 by the Centre for Legal Theory (CLT), Professor James Penner discussed his paper “On the Nature of Legal Concepts”. Professor Penner posits that before investigating the nature of legal concepts, one must first obtain an overview of the way in which the idea of a ‘concept’ is used across different domains. Following this overview, the seminar involved the discussion of two ideas. Firstly, Gallie’s idea of ‘essentially contested concepts’ and the way it might figure in legal discourse. Secondly, the idea that a person may have only a partial grasp of a concept, and how this might also figure in legal discourse. The seminar concluded with a robust discussion regarding the two ideas presented by Professor Penner.