Sovereignty is one of the oldest and most discussed concepts in the history of ideas. It deals at the same time with political philosophy, jurisprudence , epistemology and political studies. Its intricacy concerns, on the one hand, the... more
Sovereignty is one of the oldest and most discussed concepts in the history of ideas. It deals at the same time with political philosophy, jurisprudence , epistemology and political studies. Its intricacy concerns, on the one hand, the theoretical implications of its meaning; on the other, the practical consequences of its use and, in some cases, abuse. In this paper I will analyze this concept as a possible contemporary myth in the critical position of Hans Kelsen, who builds a new paradigm about sovereignty based on the Pure Theory of Law and is still influential to date. This study is conducted on three scientific suggestions: first, the ambiguity of the concept; second, a reading of Ernst Cassirer's myth of the state and, third, an examination of Lambert Wiesing's phenomenological view. Successively, Kelsen's paradigm is compared to Harold Laski's political philosophy , on the basis that both reach the same outcome: the removal of sovereignty. Could Kelsen's philosophy of law represents even now a credible formal model to achieve enduring international peace?
