Legal Ontology, Scientific Expertise and The Factual World

Abstract

This article analyses the role of scientific information in legal proceedings by exploring the relationship of law, science and the factual world. The article compares legal and scientific ontology, and discusses how they relate to each other. The comparison is used to explain previous controversies between legal and scientific experts. Special consideration is devoted to the legal notion of cause-in-fact, which is discussed at length. The article distinguishes among different meanings of “facticity” in the legal discourse on causation, and discusses the bearing that these meanings have on the legal relevance of scientific information.

Keywords

• legal ontology
• law and science
• causation
• expert testimony
• questions of fact