Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Law
Effect Precedes Cause: Kant And The Self-In-Itself, David G. Carlson
Effect Precedes Cause: Kant And The Self-In-Itself, David G. Carlson
Articles
This article describes the metaphysics of Kant, according to which we never know the Thing In Itself but only the appearance of it. When applied to selfhood (which is a “thing”), Kant implies that we never know what motivates us to do what we do. Our reasons are after-the-fact apologies to justify our acts. For that reason the “cause” of our deed always (that is to say, our reasons) follows the deed itself. Effect precedes cause, on Kantian metaphysics.
Planning Positivism And Planning Natural Law, Martin J. Stone
Planning Positivism And Planning Natural Law, Martin J. Stone
Articles
Scott Shapiro offers an elaboration and defense of “legal positivism,” in which the official acceptance of a plan figures as the central explanatory notion. Rich in both ambition and insight, Legality casts an edifying new light on the structure of positive law and its officialdom. As a defense of positivism, however, it exhibits the odd feature that its main claims will prove quite acceptable to the natural lawyer. Perhaps this betokens – what many have begun to suspect anyway – that our usual tests for classifying legal theories (as positivist or not) are, in the present state of discussion, no …
Legal Positivism As An Idea About Morality, Martin J. Stone
Legal Positivism As An Idea About Morality, Martin J. Stone
Articles
I ask what a proper critical target for 'legal positivism' might be. I argue that utilitarian moral theory, and more generally fully directive moral theories, are unacknowledged motivations for legal positivism. Contemporary debate about 'the nature of law' is, historically speaking, much more of a footnote to utilitarianism than has been recognized.