Vagueness and Theory of Gaps

This contribution is dedicated to the concept of gap (lacuna in Latin, Lücke in German), more precisely to the theory of gaps and its role in legal thought, particularly in the Czech Republic. The starting point to this analysis is the notion of vagueness. For the beginning, different meanings of vagueness shall be presented and explained. Then the focus shall be laid on the relation between the ‘theory of gaps’ and vagueness. Therefore main attention is paid to the theoretical distinctions between various types of legal gaps and their usage in the legal practice. As a conclusion I will try to resolve the question whether or not the notion of ‘gap’ shall apply for instances of vague terms (uncertainty) of normative text.