«NIENTE NEL MONDO È UN OGGETTO IN SÈ». IL “SEN-SO” DELLA NORMA PENALE TRA LEGALITÀ, OFFENSIVITÀ E SUSSIDIARIETÀ

The essay, focused on the idea of “substantive criminal law”, explores the ways criminal legal system can adequately conveyan interpretation of norms really compliant with legality principle , being well known how the hermeneutic process is deeply affected by a pre-comprehension of facts to which norms are applied thus exposing judicial decisions to the risk of arbitrariness. In order to guide in the selection of relevant facts or features thereof, and then to rejuvenate a really weakened ability of criminal law ro substtaìtially steer legal decisions, the ultima ratio principle should be considered not just in the law-making, but also in judicial decisions, just for a better understanding of other basic principles like the harm and legality ones. This can be achieved through the awareness of the “positional” logic (in a meaning the author draws from Ludwig Wittgestnein’s philosophy) just inherent in the idea of criminal law as ultima ratio, namely to be deployed for social control only after having considered the ability of other means to protect relevant interests,