“The Rule of Law, Justice and the Future of Democracy”: Review of the XXXI World Congress of the International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy in Seoul

Introduction. The article presents the review of the XXXI World Congress of the International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (IVR) with the main theme “The Rule of Law, Justice and the Future of Democracy”, which took place on July 7–12, 2024 in Seoul (Republic of Korea) at the sites of Soongsil University.

Methodology and materials. The authors-participants provided information on the organizers and the program, congratulatory remarks and plenary presentations, analyzed Special Workshops and Working Groups that formed the most productive and debatable part of the congress.

Results of the study and their discussion. Special attention is paid to the Russian Special Workshop and the participation of Russian representatives in the forum, which brought together over 700 scholars, including the world’s leading researchers in the theory, philosophy and sociology of law, such as B. Bix, K. Günter, S. Kirste, M. Krygier, P. Chiassoni, P. Mindus, K. Papageorgiou, G. Postema, M. Sellers, F. Schauer and others. The content of Special Panels is shown and the abstracts of the IVR prize laureates are presented: the IVR book prize for outstanding achievements in the field of philosophy of law and social philosophy (G. Postema) and Alice Tay book prize in legal theory (J. Dickson). One of the central events of the congress is depicted in detail, which was the presentation of the first printed edition of the IVR Encyclopedia.

Conclusions. At the end of the review the results of the congress were outlined, the main of which was the continuing importance of international contacts within the scientific community seeking to find ways to resolve existing global and regional conflicts. The evident focus on combining theory and practice can be traced through the entire eventful program of the congress, confirming the modern demand for realistic attitudes when discussing legal, philosophical and social issues. It is also noted that the next congress, traditionally held every two years, will be organized in 2026 in Istanbul (Türkiye) with the main theme “Law in the Face of the Changing Problems of the World”.

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