Abstract

Does it make sense to use a metaphor, and then in particular the metaphor of the house with many mansions, to introduce students to the complex heritage and contemporary developments relating to the rule of law? Witteveen argues that it does: the picture of a house with a number of floors and interconnected spaces can serve to underline the historical and social construction of the ideal of legality. The metaphor allows for conceptual extensions that can subsequently be used to highlight contemporary debates about legality. In order to use metaphor didactically in a context-oriented and reflective way, a pragmatic theory of metaphor is needed.All metaphors are selective cognitive instruments. It is impossible to capture all relevant themes relating to the rule of law in one image. This is why Witteveen argues for reflective metaphor switching: the rule of law can be seen as a house but also as a city or as a stage