Abstract
When Justinian reorganized law in the VIthcentury, he spoke of it as a body, in which institutions circulate like blood in the veins. The metaphor draws on the body to think about law, and in so doing, it conveys a whole series of ideas : the organicity and interdependence that must characterize a legal order, its functionality, but also its fragility and the role of the legislator, charged with ensuring its good health.
This first lecture will focus on this powerful metaphor, serving as a general introduction : it will outline the main methodological issues involved. Reactivating metaphors means penetrating more deeply into the mentality of the Roman jurists who forged them, and better mastering the language we have inherited. More generally, it means asking the question : what is a metaphor, and why can no science do without one ?
