On Both Sides of Dogma: A Modest Attempt to Test the Rigidity of Institutions

The paper explores the problem of rigidity in institutional thinking, primarily within the field of law. A semi-jocular Employment Agreement (dated 2010), which defines the goal of the parties’ interaction as “mutual disinterested pleasure,” is employed as a subversive analytical tool. The document is tested against the collective unconscious of legal discourse, as represented by a Large Language Model (LLM). The novelty of the approach lies in two dimensions. First, kalokagathia—the rationalization of the beautiful, once natural to ancient Greek thought but neglected by modern jurisprudence—is reintroduced into academic circulation. Second, the LLM is applied in its original, intended capacity: statistically processing a vast corpus of relevant discourse to expose its latent dogmatic boundaries. The paper extends John Searle’s concept of the Background, arguing that it must encompass non-monetary goods, while the dialogue with AI provides a vivid illustration of the “Chinese Room” problem. Thus, the work constitutes not merely a legal parody but a conceptual revision of the foundational categories of law through the lens of aesthetics and artificial intelligence. Dedicated to his memory.