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Arts and Humanities Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Philosophy

2014

Journal

Law in society

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Law’S Evolution And Law As Custom, William A. Edmundson Dec 2014

Law’S Evolution And Law As Custom, William A. Edmundson

San Diego Law Review

normative, and law works by channeling custom-in-gross into progressively finer and more precise grooves. If there is normative moral value resident in the custom of elevating and following leaders, then that normativity ought to flow downstream into the finer channels officials carve and into the fresh territory they wish us to occupy. In places, that flow is too diluted, and normativity trails off. In places, officials direct the stream over a cliff, and it is no longer normative at all. In places, the stream is overtaken by stronger normative streams and can only make a difference yet farther downslope, where …


Do People Obey The Law?, Frederick Schauer Dec 2014

Do People Obey The Law?, Frederick Schauer

San Diego Law Review

It is customary in a symposium honoring a book as valuable as Laurence Claus’s for the commentators to begin by noting their general agreement with the author’s thesis and then explaining that, in the spirit of academic engagement, they will focus on one small but interesting area in which the author and the commentator disagree. On this occasion, however, it seems more appropriate to reverse that approach. For reasons I will make clear, I am in substantial disagreement with Claus’s normative argument against authority. Unlike Claus, I believe that “because I said so” is often, especially when backed by the …


Law’S Evolution And Human Understanding, Laurence Claus Dec 2014

Law’S Evolution And Human Understanding, Laurence Claus

San Diego Law Review

What a privilege and delight it was to welcome the participants to this conference. I am deeply grateful to the outside commentators, Bill Edmundson, John Finnis, Michael Steven Green, Mark Greenberg, Fred Schauer, and Larry Solum, for contributing so generously. My thanks also go to the many faculty colleagues who joined in the celebration, and particularly to Larry Alexander for convening the event and leading the proceedings, as he so often does, and does so well. This response to the insightful commentaries on Law’s Evolution and Human Understanding grows out of three propositions: law comes first, law is signals, law …