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Full-Text Articles in Law
The Place Of Force In General Jurisprudence, Jeffrey A. Pojanowski
The Place Of Force In General Jurisprudence, Jeffrey A. Pojanowski
Journal Articles
This essay reviews Frederick Schauer’s book, The Force of Law (2015). Schauer argues that coercion is central to legal practice and should be no less important in legal theory. In doing so, Schauer presents formidable challenges to standard versions of legal positivism—and does so from within the positivist framework. Much of Schauer’s criticism on that score is sound. His analysis of the role coercion can play in accomplishing law’s moral tasks is also welcome and important. Nevertheless, Schauer’s jurisprudential framework comes up short in its inability to distinguish law from other social practices that also use force. The Force of …
Some Reasons For A Restoration Of Natural Law Jurisprudence, Charles E. Rice
Some Reasons For A Restoration Of Natural Law Jurisprudence, Charles E. Rice
Journal Articles
The growing influence of utilitarianism and legal positivism in American jurisprudence today and the decline of natural law have produced an ominous shift in the foundation of our legal system. This shift is illustrated by various courts' approaches to momentous legal issues of the Twentieth Century such as abortion and euthanasia. Ultimately, legal positivism is unacceptable as a jurisprudential framework because it provides no inherent limits on the power of the state and no basis for determining what is just. In contrast, the natural law provides a jurisprudential framework that both guides and limits the civil law. It therefore is …
The Straw Man Of Legal Positivism, Thomas F. Broden
The Straw Man Of Legal Positivism, Thomas F. Broden
Journal Articles
The typical view of many lawyers, philosophers, theologians and other thoughtful persons toward a so-called school of jurisprudence generally known as legal positivism is one of condemnation. According to this typical view legal positivism is a well developed philosophy of law the main tenets of which are that might makes right and that law and state sovereignty are absolute and not subject to independent moral evaluation. Needless to say this assumed jurisprudential view is roundly indicted, deplored and declaimed against with vigor and venom. We are warned that legal positivists are insidious termites threatening the very foundation of our law, …