Aesthetics of Law

Abstract

The aesthetics of law appears as one of the parts of the philosophy of law that focuses on the relationship between law and aesthetical values, in their broadest sense. The aesthetics of law can be closed in its three dimensions: external, internal and the approach defined as "law as a tool of aestheticization”. This division was made from the perspective of the subject of research, which is the law. The third dimension refers to the law as "tool of aestheticization” of everyday life, which indicates the aesthetic function of law, implemented mainly by legal regulation and the legal norms they contain, which are the determinants of what is aesthetic. We can distinguish three basic fields in which the law can affect the aestheticization of everyday life: 1) legal norms that set and promote certain aesthetic standards, 2) legal norms that serve to protect and preserve aesthetic values and 3) the field where law, as an instrument of politics, can be used to fight against certain aesthetic values that are inconsistent with the ideology promoted by the ruling class – the so-called art in the service of state power. The first group of norms is used to make the overall „pretty” but when interpreting such legal regulations, can be concluded that there’s something more than only this - that it’s promoting aesthetic standards and values through legal norms. The policy of many countries focuses on introducing legal regulations aimed at ensuring the aesthetics of the landscape of their cities. The article aims to present the implementation of the third approach to the aesthetics of law in Poland and discussing legal measures and activities undertaken to ensure the aesthetics of the landscape.