In the aftermath of the Second World War,

Karl Popper introduced his concept of the

“open society”. Poppers focussed primarily

on communism and fascism. Nowadays,

communism and fascism have faded

away as the primary challenges for open,

democratic states, but new challenges have

come to the fore. Closed communities pose

a significant challenge and sometimes a

threat to democratic values. What are those

closed communities? This book presents

a diagnosis of those closed communit...

A New Introduction to Legal Method provides a comprehensive overview of legal science, and the scientific character of legal knowledge. This textbook is ideal for students of legal method, and will be of great interest to those studying legal science, jurisprudence, legal research and legal skills.

This collection centers around two trends that currently influence freedom of expression. The first trend confirms the fact that many Western countries have become, over a long period of time, less strict about sacrilegious expression. In the process, many repealed their blasphemy laws or became less harsh in their punishment of blasphemy, hence "the fall of blasphemy law".

The second trend manifests an opposite movement, hence "the rise of blasphemy law". Over the last decades, namely, West...