“Law does not lose its force when statutes disappear, but when their meaning erodes in everyday practice.”

Law is commonly understood as a powerful normative system, backed by the state’s monopoly on the use of physical coercion. Yet this conception often obscures a more fragile reality: the vulnerability of law lies not in its formal validity, but in the social conditions that sustain its meaning.

In this talk, Prof. Rok Svetlič challenges the assumption that legal norms can remain effective solely through enforcement. Using the example of corruption, he illustrates how laws become ineffective when their violation is socially accepted, despite their continued existence in legal texts. Law, he argues, depends as much on interpretation, shared values, and democratic culture as on written rules.

Drawing on Oswald Spengler’s century-old insights, the contribution reflects on the contemporary erosion of liberal democratic institutions. Even as constitutions and legal frameworks formally remain “in force,” their foundations may be weakening—signaling a profound shift in the relationship between law, society, and democratic legitimacy.