Author:
Péter Takács Széchenyi István University, Győr

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Abstract

This paper examines the excellent Hungarian legal philosopher, Felix Somló’s theories on the state and politics. It claims that Somló had three theories of state. The first could be reconstructed from the sociological allusions and hints of his first book, titled Állami beavatkozás és individualismus [State intervention and individualism] (1903). His second theory of state was based on legal concepts exposes in a Neo-Kantian fashion, and it has been explicated in his Juristische Grundlehre [Basic Legal Concepts and Ideas] (1917). His third theory of state is an unfinished theory prepared in his unpublished Állambölcseleti jegyzetek [Notes for a Philosophy of State] (1919/20). The core idea of the first theory is regulation (which was considered by Somló as interference); the central concept of the second theory is the so called ‘Rechtsmacht’ [legal might], which was coined by Somló; whereas the third theory revolves around the possibility of so called eternal truth of history of ideas.

  • Bárd, József , ‘Somló Bódog jogászati alapvetése’ (The Basic Legal Premise of Felix Somló) (1918) 19 Huszadik Század 34654.

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  • Funke, Andreas, and Sólyom, Péter, (eds), Verzweifelt objektiv. Tagebuchnotizen und Briefe des ungarischen Rechtsphilosophen Felix Somló (1873–1920) (Böhlau Verlag 2013).

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  • G. Fodor, Gábor , ‘“Politikai szecesszió” – a kivonulás politikája’ (“Political secession” – the politics of withdrawal) (2002) 7–8 Magyar Szemle 6690.

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  • Kant, Immanuel , The Metaphysics of Morals (originally: Die Metaphysik der Sitten in zwei Theilen Friedrich Nicolovius 1797) (Ed and transl: Mary J. Gregor Cambridge University Press 1996, for references see the pages of 1996 edition).

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  • Kelsen, Hans , Das Problem der Souverenität und die Theorie des Völkerrechtes Beitrag zu einer Rechtslehre. (J. C. B. Mohr, Paul Siebeck 1920)

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  • Krabbe, Hugo , Die Lehre der Rechtssouveränität (Wolters 1906).

  • Kupa, László , ‘Somló Bódog’ (Felix Somló) (1998) 5 Jura 4348.

  • Litván, György , ‘Egy magyar tudós tragikus pályája a század elején: Somló Bódog (1873–1920)’ (The Tragic Career of a Hungarian Scholar at the Beginning of the Century 1883–1920) (1973) 16 Valóság 3242.

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  • Litván, György , ‘Somló Bódog munkássága’ (The work of Felix Somló) (1977) 4 Szociológia 503507.

  • Márkus, Dezső (ed), Magyar Jogi Lexikon [Hungarian Legal Encyclopedia] volumes 1–6. (Pallas Irodalmi és Nyomdai Rt. 1898–1907)

  • Nagy, J. Endre , ‘Erény és tudomány. Vázlat Somló Bódog gondolkodói pályájáról’ (Virtue and Science. An Outline of Bódog Somló’s Intellectual Career) (1981) 12 Világosság 76472.

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  • Navracsics, Tibor , ‘Somló Bódog államelmélete (1898–1909)’ (Felix Somló’s Theory of State 1898–1909) (1991) 7 Valóság. 1627.

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  • Pitamic, Leonidas , ‘Eine “Juristische Grundlehre”’ (1918) 3.6 Österreichische Zeitschrift für öffentliches Recht [ÖZöR], 734757. reprinted in: Somló, Felix, Schriften zur Rechtsphilosophie. Ausgewählt und eingeleitet von Csaba Varga (Akadémiai Kiadó 1999) 77–96.

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  • Ritchie, David, G. , The Principles of State Interference. Four Essays on the Political Philosophy of Mr. Herbert Spencer, J. S. Mill, and T. H. Green (2nd edition, Swan Sonnenschein 1891/1896)

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  • Somló, Bódog (Felix) , A parlamentarizmus fejlődéséről. Doktori értekezés. (On the Development of Parliamentarism. Doctoral Thesis) (Cluj-Napoca/Kolozsvár 1895); in print: A parlamentarizmus a magyar jogban (Parliamentarism in Hungarian Law) (Gibbon Albert 1896)

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  • Somló, Bódog (Felix) , ‘Háború és béke’ (War and Peace) (1900) 1 Magyar Egyetemi Szemle. 2130.

  • Somló, Bódog (Felix) , Állami beavatkozás és individualismus [State Intervention and Individualism] (Budapest: Politzer, 1903, 2nd edition: Grill, 1907)

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  • Somló, Felix , Juristische Grundlehre (Leipzig: Verlag von Felix Meiner, 1917, 2nd edition: 1927; reprint: Aalen: Scientia Verlag, 1973) (for quotitions and references see the pages of the 1927 edition)

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  • Somló, Bódog (Felix) , Jogbölcsészet (Legal Philosophy. Extracts from the Juristische Grundlehre in Hungarian) (1920, reprint: Bíbor Kiadó 1995, for references see the edition of 1995).

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  • Somló, Bódog (Felix) , ‘Machiavelli’ (1921) 1 Társadalomtudomány 4169.

  • Somló, Bódog (Felix) , Prima philosophia. Gedanken zu einer erster Philosophie (Walter de Gruyter, 1926).

  • Somló, Bódog (Felix) , Állambölcseleti töredék. Somló Bódog írásai és hátrahagyott jegyzetei egy megírni tervezett Állambölcseletből (Fragments of a Philosophy of State. Felix Somló’s Writings and his Posthumous Notes from a Planned Philosophy of State, ed Takács, Péter, Gondolat Kiadó 2016).

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  • Spengler, Oswald , Jahre der Entscheidung. Deutschland und die weltgeschichtliche Entwicklung (C H Beck 1934) (in English translation: The Hour of Decision 1934. Germany and World-Historical Evolution Routledge Revivals 2018).

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  • Széchenyi, István , Napló (Diary) (Budapest: Osiris, 2002).

  • Varga, Csaba , ‘Somló Bódog végső summázata: az ismeretlen Állambölcseleti jegyzetek’ (The Final Synopsys of Felix Somló: the unknown Notes state philosophical notes on Philosophy of State) (1985) 28 Állam- és Jogtudomány 359–63.

  • Ződi, Zsolt , ‘Book review on Takács, Péter (ed.), Somló, Bódog Állambölcseleti töredék. Somló Bódog írásai és hátrahagyott jegyzetei egy megírni tervezett Állambölcseletből (Fragments on Philosophy of State. Felix Somló’s Writings and his Posthumous Notes from a Planned Philosophy of State, Budapest: Gondolat Kiadó, 2016) (2017) 2 Állam- és Jogtudomány 13035.

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Senior editors

Editor-in-Chief: 

  • Éva JAKAB (Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church, Department of Civil Law and Roman Law, head of Doctoral School of Political Science and Law, Hungary)

Editors:

  • Fruzsina GÁRDOS-OROSZ (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, Hungary; Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • Miklós KÖNCZÖL (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, Hungary; Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Hungary)
  • Viktor LŐRINCZ (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, Hungary)
  • Tamás HOFFMANN (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, HU; Corvinus University of Budapest, Institute of International, Political and Regional Studies / Department of International Relations, Hungary)
  • Eszter KOVÁCS SZITKAY (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, HUNGARY; Ludovika University of Public Service, Doctoral School of Law Enforcement, Hungary)

Editorial Board

  • Attila BADÓ (University of Szeged, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Hungary)
  • Mátyás BÓDIG (University of Aberdeen, King's College, School of Law, United Kingdom)
  • Zoltán CSEHI (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law, Hungary; Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Hungary)
  • Péter CSERNE (University of Aberdeen, King's College, School of Law, United Kingdom)
  • Balázs GELLÉR (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • András JAKAB (Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg, Faculty of Law, Business and Economics, Austria)
  • Miodrag JOVANOVIĆ (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law, Serbia)
  • Miklós KIRÁLY (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • György KISS (National University of Public Service, Faculty of Public Governance and International Studies, HUNGARY; University of Pécs, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • Jan KUDRNA (Charles University, Faculty of Law, Czech Republic)
  • Herbert KÜPPER (Institut für Ostrecht, DE; Andrássy Universität, Chair of European Public Law, Hungary)
  • Konrad LACHMAYER (Sigmund Freud University, Faculty of Law, Austria)
  • Andzrej Stanislaw MĄCZYŃSKI (Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Law and Administration, Poland)
  • Guido PFEIFER (Goethe University, Faculty of Law, Germany)
  • Miklós SZABÓ (University of Miskolc, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • Zoltán SZENTE (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, Hungary)
  • G.J.J. Heerma VAN VOSS (Leiden University, Institute of Public Law; Labour Law and Social Security, Netherlands)
  • Bernd WAAS (Goethe University, Faculty of Law, Germany)
  • Fryderyk ZOLL (University of Osnabrück, European Legal Studies Institute, Germany)

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  • Gábor HAMZA
  • Attila HARMATHY
  • László KECSKÉS
  • Tibor KIRÁLY
  • László KORINEK
  • László SÓLYOM
  • Lajos VÉKÁS
  • Imre VÖRÖS

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2023  
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Hungarian Journal of Legal Studies
Language English
Size B5
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2016 (1959)
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