Oltre la mitezza, le gentilezza del diritto

This essay discusses the possibility of considering a soulful role of the law. In principle, law is mainly conceived as a self-referential institution that bases its ability upon the exercise of power. This power-based notion of the law does not always assist it in performing its social function effectively. In this essay the author takes into consideration the theses on ‘mild law’ and advances the proposal of a ‘kind law’, which takes care of personal rela- tionships and tries to make the dimension of listening prevail over that of assertiveness, as well as to make unitive elements prevail over divisive ones; a ‘kind law’ does not rely on the exercise of power but, rather, on the search for consensus