Normative artifacts and normative drawings: investigating non-linguistic regulation (NAND)

When we think of regulation, what we generally have in mind is a verbal – and preferably written – rule/norm, such as an article contained in a code. Usually, we believe that human conduct can be regulated almost entirely with the aid of language-based norms. This orthodox notion of regulation – still widely accepted in many fields, and largely adopted by public authorities – has been challenged on the grounds that it is too restrictive and not always effective. In fact, human behaviour can be regulated not only with words (and, in particular, with verbal norms) but also without words. This form of verbal-centrism in normative theory is criticisable. Some rules are not word-based at all – rather, they are conveyed through gestures, sounds, images, and artifacts. We can speak in this case of “non-linguistic regulation”.

Particularly, the research project “Normative artifacts and normative drawings: investigating non-linguistic regulation” (NAND) intends to focus on the study of two normative phenomena generally neglected by the standard theory of regulation: (i) normative drawings and (ii) normative artifacts. The main objective is to construct a new general approach to regulation that is able to take into consideration both the orthodox (mainly linguistic) view and challenging frontier issues (focused on non-linguistic regulation).

The project aims to contribute to the fulfilment of two general theoretical tasks. Firstly, it will improve the comprehension of the phenomenon of regulation itself. The second general theoretical task consists of providing new conceptual tools helpful for various practices, such as legal drafting, urban planning and design, architecture, and information technology. The research results are expected to be greatly innovative in terms of the advancement of knowledge. By investigating the category of non-linguistic regulation and its rich phenomenology, the project intends to open a new research field (the study of regulation without words). It will contribute to three different areas of inquiry: (i) the theory of normativity, (ii) the theory of drawing; (iii) the theory of artifacts.

The project aims at creating a new and widespread awareness of normative drawings and artifacts. Non-linguistic regulation could effectively be employed not only in different areas of the public sector (e.g. administrative digitalisation, urban design, traffic), but also in the private sector (e.g. contracts, real estate management, information technology).

Considering industrial applications, it will be possible to apply the research findings in all fields where visual signage systems are in use. Highly relevant fields for possible application are, for instance, legal drafting, city planning, geographic information systems. Also in the field of material manufacturing and production, the research findings may be directly implemented through industrial design and architecture.

Research units

• Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Principal Investigator Giuseppe Lorini,
• Politecnico di Milano, Associated Investigator Stefano Moroni
• Università degli Studi di Sassari, Associated Investigator Fabio Bacchini

Call
PRIN 2022

Project duration
24 months

Main ERC field
SH - Social Sciences and Humanities

ERC subfields

• SH2_7 Political and legal philosophy
• SH7_8 Land use and planning
• SH5_10 Ethics and its applications; social philosophy

Keywords
Regulation, Normativity, Drawings, Artifacts, Legal Communication, Legal Design