De l'usage de vico en france : le probleme de la legitimite du droit civil
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Abstract EN:
French liberals at the beginning of the restoration were faced with the doubly complex task of establishing both a foundation and an interpretation for the civil code. Cousin derives the basis from a divine law of kantian inspiration which, resounding within the heart of every man, implies that an individual's freedom is limited by his respect for that of his fellow man. A society defined in this manner is of an ideal nature. Indeed, a basis is established for the code as a set of laws, but this philosophical foundation alone does not constitute grounds for jurisprudence, which must essentially rely upon reality. The roots for this reality, or social setting, cannot be taken from tradition, for this would signify a return to the former system. Nor can they be derived from folks ways and practices. Instead the model for jurisprudence is taken from the roman jurisconsults, and the code is now seen as a modern resuscitation of roman law. Hence, at the very moment when reality would appear to diverge from the ideal, jourdan asserts that the two actually converge, at the expence of substituting ancient rome for the reality of france. It is at this point that vico is invoked in order to ensure the convergence between reality and the ideal, between history and philosophy, between the facts and the law. This appeal to the theories of vico can be considered valid only if the principle itself by which the neopolitan affirms the presence of the ideal in reality remains unquestioned. This "heroic principle", which stipulates that man creates the civil world, gives way to a necessarily democratic entity at some point in time where each individual takes part in the drawing-up of laws. After close examination of this moment, both ballanche and michelet are compelled to question the principle of representation upon which the liberal concept is based, to redefine the relationship between the civil sphere and the political sphere and, finally, to attribute to the plebians in the one case, and to the people in the other, a role as a driving force in history.
Abstract FR:
Le probleme qui se pose aux liberaux au debut de la restauration est de donner a la fois un fondement et une interpretation au code civil. Le fondement est trouve par cousin dans une loi divine d'inspiration kantienne, qui resonne au coeur des individus et limite a priori leur liberte par le respect de celle d'autrui. La societe ainsi definie est d'ordre ideal; un fondement est bien donne au code en tant que recueil de lois, mais ce fondement philosophique ne permet pas a lui seul de fonder une jurisprudence, qui doit par essence s'appuyer sur une realite. Cette realite, ou cet ancrage social, ne peut etre trouvee ni dans la tradition, qui ramenerait a l'ancien regime, ni dans les pratiques populaires. Le modele de la jurisprudence va etre cherche chez les jurisconsultes romains, et le code repense comme une reactivation moderne des lois de rome. Ainsi, au moment meme ou le reel semble diverger d'avec l'ideal, jourdan affirme-t-il leur convergence, au prix d'eriger rome en substitut de la realite francaise. C'est ici que vico est convoque, comme garant de la convergence du reel et de l'ideal, de l'histoire et de la philosophie, du fait et du droit. L'appel a vico ne tient que si n'est pas interroge le principe meme qui permet au napolitain d'affirmer la presence de l'ideal dans le reel. Ce "principe heroique", qui dit que les hommes font le monde civil, produit necessairement un moment democratique, ou tous concourent egalement a la confection des lois. En interrogeant ce moment, ballanche d'une part, michelet de l'autre, sont amenes a mettre en cause le principe de representation sur lequel repose en definitive la conception liberale, a redefinir les rapports du civil et du politique, et a accorder a la plebe pour l'un, au peuple pour l'autre, un role moteur dans l'histoire.