Soft Law: un tropo seductor que encapsula viejos problemas

Abstract: The analysis is structured in four parts. First, it explores the history and ideological connotations of the terms soft and hard, showing that their associations go beyond the legal domain and reflect broader worldviews. Second, several thought experiments are proposed to assess whether soft law can be interpreted as a trope in the broad rhetorical sense, particularly akin to metaphor. This approach highlights its semantic richness and ideological dimension without reducing it to a single figure. The third part presents a synthetic and deliberately partial mapping of the phenomena typically associated with soft law. The focus is not on offering a new taxonomy but rather on examining the conventional criteria (such as normativity, binding force, or issuing authority) that structure its usage and how these interact with rhetorical meanings. Lastly, a synthesis is proposed: soft law functions as a trope that encapsulates the enduring human desire to guide behaviour effectively without coercion. Its appeal lies in the promise of an ideal convergence between ought and is, granting it exceptional symbolic and normative power. As such, it reintroduces perennial dualisms and operates as an ideal compass aimed at a just world. Far from being a neutral legal category, soft law embodies a powerful utopian aspiration rooted deeply in the history of human thought.