Legal Theory

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 10
Acknowledgments......Page 12
Table of Cases......Page 14
1.2 Law and legal theory......Page 18
1.3 A question of terminology: jurisprudence, legal philosophy, or legal theory?......Page 19
1.4 The sources of legal theory......Page 20
1.5 The importance of context in legal theory......Page 21
1.6 The dangers of classifying legal theories......Page 24
1.7 Moral argument......Page 25
1.8 Why study legal theory?......Page 31
Reading......Page 33
2.2 Natural law and positivist perspectives on morality and law......Page 35
2.3 The dependence of morality on law......Page 45
2.4 The functions of law......Page 47
2.5 Natural law and positivism in context: the case of the Speluncean Explorers......Page 52
Summary......Page 56
Reading......Page 57
3.2 Ancient Greece......Page 58
3.3 Rome......Page 65
3.4 The Christian contribution......Page 67
3.5 The secularization of natural law......Page 71
3.6 The logical attack on the natural law tradition......Page 75
3.7 Natural law and natural rights in English and European Community law......Page 77
Summary......Page 85
Reading......Page 86
4.2 Austin's command theory of law......Page 87
4.3 Hart's Concept of Law......Page 92
Reading......Page 102
5.2 The nature and elements of the pure theory of law......Page 103
5.3 The nature of the Grundnorm......Page 106
5.4 The Grundnorm of the British constitution......Page 113
Summary......Page 119
Reading......Page 120
6.2 Fuller's The Morality of Law......Page 121
6.3 Finnis's Natural Law and Natural Rights......Page 128
Reading......Page 136
7.1 Introduction......Page 137
7.2 The inadequacy of seeing law as a system of rules......Page 138
7.3 Policies, principles and rights......Page 139
7.4 Interpretation: integrity, justification and fit......Page 145
7.5 The nature of legal theory and the 'semantic sting'......Page 146
7.6 The problem of identifying rights in practice......Page 147
Summary......Page 152
Reading......Page 153
8.1 Introduction......Page 154
8.2 The basis of American realism......Page 155
8.3 Law as prophecy......Page 156
8.4 Rule-scepticism......Page 158
8.5 Fact-scepticism......Page 160
8.6 Law-jobs......Page 162
8.7 American realism and after......Page 165
Reading......Page 166
9.1 Introduction......Page 167
9.2 Marxism......Page 168
9.3 The critical legal studies movement......Page 170
9.4 Feminism in legal theory......Page 171
Reading......Page 176
10.1 Introduction......Page 178
10.2 Utilitarianism......Page 179
10.3 The economic analysis of law......Page 182
10.4 Rawls' Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism......Page 186
10.5 Nozick and the minimal state......Page 189
Reading......Page 192
11.1 Introduction......Page 194
11.2 The debate in the 19th century......Page 196
11.3 The Wolfenden Report......Page 197
11.4 The Hart–Devlin debate......Page 198
11.5 The report of the Williams Committee......Page 202
11.6 Dworkin's argument on political integration......Page 203
11.7 Some practical applications......Page 204
11.8 Matters of life and death......Page 220
Summary......Page 232
Reading......Page 233
Selected Further Reading......Page 234
F......Page 236
M......Page 237
W......Page 238