Over the last decade, the juridical-philosophical notion of vulnerability has met with considerable
success, both in terms of theoretical reflection and of concrete legal application. Much of this
success is due to its critical-hermeneutical use, aimed not only at identifying and protecting individuals
or groups particularly exposed and vulnerable, but also and above all, at adapting and
directing the legislation concerning the protection of fundamental human rights.
In this sense, the legal use of the notion of vulnerability is an integral part of the process of
constitutionalization of the human person that characterizes the European legal systems since the
second post-war period and which assumes, as its main purpose, the application of the protective
mask of the law to the concrete individuals.
