magination and Judicial Decision: A Study from the case Artavia Murillo and Others (in vitro Fertilization) v. Costa Rica of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Abstract

This article aims to reflect on how imagination works in judicial decisions. To achieve this, first, it will explain the reflective judgment; then, based on the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur, the concept of imagination, the relationship between imagination and action, and finally, the role of imagination in the constitution of the historical field will be addressed. This conceptualization will be contrasted with the judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights known as Artavia Murillo et al ("in vitro fertilization") v. Costa Rica (hereinafter the Case). Based on the above, it will be argued that imagination is used to construct the judicial decision, especially in hard cases, in several ways, for instance, (i) semantic innovation, (ii) projection of action, and (iii) construction of the historical field.