Abstract
This article presents a paradox in the thought of Edith Stein betweenher attitudes in relation to the state/law problem and her vision ofreligion. I seek to explain the paradox through the study of the Theoryof the State and Sovereignty. In this regard, basing herself onclassical authors, Edith Stein disagrees with the great jurists of hertime who did not always recognise the priority of the concept ofsovereignty. The examination of the relationship between the State andlaw breaks new ground within her phenomenological position, by, on theone hand, defending a strong concept of sovereignty of the State seen asa legal a priori while on the other hand stating that the State doesn'trelate to spiritual values. This leads us to propose a particular viewof the semiotic processes relevant to the relation between law/stateand religion, illuminating the semantic-pragmatic factors which promptedStein towards the above contradiction.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Solon, A.M. State, Law and Religion in Edith Stein's Thought. International Journal for the Semiotics of Law 14, 215–221 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011257727405
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011257727405