Beyond the Norm: The Anatomy of Vulnerability and Conscientia Humana

Authors

Keywords:

legal education, social responsibility, human vulnerability, social psychology, legal ethics, fundamental rights, empathy, environmental protection, technological innovation, interdisciplinary research, legal consciousness

Abstract

The second issue of GAUDEAMUS, the academic student journal of the Faculty of Law and International Governance at Danubius International University, offers a reflection on the role of law in a society marked by multiple vulnerabilities, accelerated technological transformations, ecological uncertainties, and an increasingly profound need for collective responsibility. Bringing together contributions devoted to the right to a healthy environment in the context of epigenetics, disaster prevention, animal protection, and the relationship between religious freedom, criminal law provisions, and judicial interpretation, this issue explores the relationship between legal norms, fundamental rights, human experience, and the responsibilities arising from the application and interpretation of law. Beyond their thematic diversity, the articles reveal a shared concern for preventing harm, protecting vulnerable individuals, understanding the interdependencies between human beings and the environment, and strengthening a legal culture grounded in empathy, discernment, and responsibility. GAUDEAMUS represents an exercise in intellectual and moral maturation, inviting future legal professionals to reflect on the human meaning of law and their responsibility towards society and future generations.

Author Biography

  • Cristina Elena Popa Tache, Danubius International University

    Cristina Elena Popa Tache is Dean of the Faculty of Law and International Governance, Danubius International University, visiting academic researcher at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge, and a renowned editor with extensive expertise in international law, international investment law, communication law, and emerging technologies.

    She is editor-in-chief of the International Investment law journal by Adjuris, editor of Tribuna Juridica (Scopus &Web of Science), deputy academic editor for Taylor & Francis Cogent Social Sciences and reviewer for Wiley, Frontiers, and other prestigious publications.

    Currently, Cristina serves as co-convenor of the International Business and Human Rights Interest Group within the European Society of International Law, ESIL DAB advisor and is an active member of the ISDS Academic Forum. She is also the President of the International Institute for the Analysis of Legal and Administrative Mutations, an organisation promoting transdisciplinary approaches in law and social sciences, and Vice Secretary-General & researcher of CIRET Paris - Center International de Recherches et Études Transdisciplinaires: https://ciret.hypotheses.org/le-ciret.

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Published

2026-10-29

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Articles