Philosophy of Law: Classic and Contemporary Readings

Philosophy of Law provides a rich overview of the diverse theoretical justifications for our legal rules, systems, and practices. The volume introduces the classical questions of philosophy of law as well as new emerging areas of theoretical dispute for legal theorists, philosophers, and lawyers. Providing introductions to all major areas of Anglo–American law, and the major philosophical underpinnings of each of these areas, it also examines questions concerning the theoretical foundation and application of international law. The text includes seminal essays from the history of philosophy, including works from Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Austin, Jeremy Bentham, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, and others. In addition, many contemporary theorists are included, such as H. L. A. Hart, Ronald Dworkin, Robert Nozick, Richard Posner, Richard Epstein, A. M. Honoré, and Michael Moore, as well as diverse voices from feminism, critical theory, postmodernism, and critical race theory. By bringing together these different and distinct voices into dialogue, the volume fully represents the philosophical foundations of various areas of law. By exposing students to a wide range of theoretical views, this book challenges students to think critically about law in the US and elsewhere, and between nations.

Preface. Source Acknowledgments. Introduction. Part I: Legal Reasoning. Introduction. 1. An Introduction to Legal Reasoning (Edward H. Levi). 2. Remarks on the Theory of Appellate Decision and the Rules or Canons about how Statutes are to be Construed (Karl N. Llewellyn). 3. Formalism (Frederick Schauer). 4. Incompletely Theorized Agreements (Cass R. Sunstein). 5. Custom, Opinio Juris, and Consent (Larry May). 6. Lochner v. New York (1905). Part II: Jurisprudence. Introduction. 7. The Concept of Law (H. L. A. Hart). 8. The Model of Rules I (Ronald Dworkin). 9. Law as Justice (Michael S. Moore). 10. The Economic Approach to Law (Richard A. Posner). 11. The Distinction between Adjudication and Legislation (Duncan Kennedy). 12. Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings that Formed the Movement (Kimberlé Crenshaw, Neil Gotanda, Gary Peller, Kendall Thomas). 13. Feminist Legal Critics: The Reluctant Radicals (Patricia Smith). 14. Riggs v. Palmer (1889). Part III: International Law. Introduction. 15. International Law (H. L. A. Hart). 16. The Nature of Jus Cogens (Mark W. Janis). 17. A Philosophy of International Law (Fernando R. Tesón). 18. The Limits of International Law (Jack L. Goldsmith, Eric A. Posner). 19. The Internal Legitimacy of Humanitarian Intervention (Allen Buchanan). 20. Humanitarian Intervention: Problems of Collective Responsibility (Larry May). 21. Humanitarian Intervention: Some Doubts (Burleigh Wilkins). 22. Prosecutor v. Tadić (1995). Part IV: Property. Introduction. 23. Of Property (John Locke). 24. Locke′s Theory of Acquisition (Robert Nozick). 25. Property, Title, and Redistribution (A. M. Honoré). 26. Philosophical Implications (Richard A. Epstein). 27. The Social Structure of Japanese Intellectual Property Law (Dan Rosen, Chikako Usui). 28. Historical Rights and Fair Shares (A. John Simmons). 29. International News Service v. Associated Press (1918). Part V: Torts. Introduction. 30. Causation and Responsibility (H. L. A. Hart, A. M. Honoré). 31. Sua Culpa (Joel Feinberg). 32. Fairness and Utility in Tort Theory (George P. Fletcher). 33. Tort Liability and the Limits of Corrective Justice (Jules L. Coleman). 34. A Theory of Strict Liability (Richard A. Epstein). 35. The Question of a Duty to Rescue in Canadian Tort Law: An Answer From France (Mitchell McInnes). 36. Tarasoff v. Regents of University of California (1976). Part VI: Criminal Law. Introduction. 37. On Liberty (John Stuart Mill). 38. The Enforcement of Morals (Patrick Devlin). 39. Crime and Punishment: An Indigenous African Experience (Egbeke Aja). 40. The Mind and the Deed (Anthony Kenny). 41. Between Impunity and Show Trials (Martti Koskenniemi). 42. Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law (Mark Drumbl). 43. Defending International Criminal Trials (Larry May). 44. Opening Statement before the International Military Tribunal (1945) (Justice Robert H. Jackson). Part VII: Contracts. Introduction. 45. Of the First and Second Natural Laws, and of Contracts (Thomas Hobbes). 46. The Practice of Promising (P. S. Atiyah). 47. Contract as Promise (Charles Fried). 48. Legally Enforceable Commitments (Michael D. Bayles). 49. Unconscionability and Contracts (Alan Wertheimer). 50. South African Contract Law: The Need for a Concept of Unconscionability (Lynn Berat). 51. Williams v. Walker–Thomas Furniture Co. (1965). Part VIII: Constitutional Law. Introduction. 52. Constitutional Cases (Ronald Dworkin). 53. Does the Constitution Mean What It Always Meant? (Stephen R. Munzer, James W. Nickel). 54. What’s Wrong with Chinese Rights? Toward a Theory of Rights with Chinese Characteristics (R. P. Peerenboom). 55. Poverty and Constitutional Justice: The Indian Experience ( Jeremy Cooper). 56. Natural Law: Alive and Kicking? A Look at the Constitutional Morality of Sexual Privacy in Ireland (Rory O′Connell). 57. Peremptory Norms as International Public Order (Alexander Orakhelashvili). 58. The Gender of Jus Cogens (Hilary Charlesworth and Christine Chinkin). 59. Plessy v. Ferguson (1892).

Larry May , JD, PhD., is Professor of Philosophy at Washington University in St Louis, and Strategic Research Professor of Social Justice at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University in Canberra. He specializes in political philosophy, and is the author or editor of 21 books, including Sharing Responsibility (1992), Crimes Against Humanity: A Normative Account (2005), War Crimes and Just War (2007), and Aggression and Crimes Against Peace (2008). Jeff Brown has a JD from Vanderbilt University and an MA from Washington University in St Louis, where he is now completing his PhD.