Mikołajewicz Jarosław, Changes in the Law, its Retroactivity and the Principle of Identity

Law undergoes constant changes. As a result, legal obligations of individuals are subject to change, social relations transform. This situation is a source of uncertainty as regards the legal situation, obligations, but also the structure of the world itself. Man accepts law as an element of reality, irrespective of its genuine difference from the reality which causes physical resistance – the reality of people and objects placed in time and space. This reality which can be called the institutional reality – the reality in which we exist and function – can be a source of tension. Existing in the world of values and norms appears to be equally important, and – from the point of view of man's integrity – possibly even more important than existing in the world of matter. Realizing one's own legal situation, or perceiving and ascertaining the legal situation of other people, both in relation to the very subject of that relation as well as other subjects, does not turn out to be less...