In connection with Prof. (Emeritus) Dr Martti Koskenniemi’s visit to the University of Graz last autumn, Associate Professor Mag. Dr Benedikt Harzl, M.A., held a discussion with him on uncertainty, indeterminacy and the value of ignorance.
Koskenniemi emphasised that law is fundamentally indeterminate and therefore always allows for different, even contradictory, lines of argument. It is precisely this openness that constitutes the strength of legal practice. The law can structure political conflicts, but it cannot resolve them definitively. At the same time, he warned against an increasing shift of political decision-making to expert bodies: expertise is never neutral, but is always linked to specific perspectives and interests. Democracy therefore requires a willingness to take responsibility under conditions of uncertainty.
The interview can be read here (in English).