Bentham and the Common Law Tradition

Bentham and the Common Law Tradition

Author: Gerald J. Postema

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1986

Total Pages: 520

ISBN-13:

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This book offers a philosophical interpretation of the historical debate between Bentham and classical Common Law Theory, a debate that is fundamental to philosophical thought and has shaped contemporary conceptions of nature, tasks, and limits of law and adjudication. The author explores the philosophical foundations of Common Law theory, focusing particularly on the writings of Sir Mathew Hale and David Hume.


Book Synopsis Bentham and the Common Law Tradition by : Gerald J. Postema

Download or read book Bentham and the Common Law Tradition written by Gerald J. Postema and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1986 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a philosophical interpretation of the historical debate between Bentham and classical Common Law Theory, a debate that is fundamental to philosophical thought and has shaped contemporary conceptions of nature, tasks, and limits of law and adjudication. The author explores the philosophical foundations of Common Law theory, focusing particularly on the writings of Sir Mathew Hale and David Hume.


Bentham and the Common Law Tradition, 2nd Edition

Bentham and the Common Law Tradition, 2nd Edition

Author: Gerald J. Postema

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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This work explores the relationship between Bentham's utilitarian practical philosophy and his positivist jurisprudence. These theories appear to be in tension because his utilitarian commitment to the sovereignty of utility as a practical decision principles seems inconsistent with his positivist insistence on the sovereignty of the will of the lawmaker. Two themes emerge from the author's attempt in this work to reconcile these two core elements of Bentham's practical thought. First, Bentham's conception of law does not fit the conventional model of legal positivism. Bentham was not just a utilitarian and a positivist; he was a positivist by virtue of his commitment to a utilitarian understanding of the fundamental task of law. Moreover, his emphasis on the necessary publicity and the systematic character of law led him to insist on an essential role for utilitarian reasons in the regular public functioning of law.Second, Bentham's radical critique of common law theory and practice convinced him of the necessity to reconcile the need for certainty of law with an equally great need for its flexibility. He eventually developed a constitutional framework for adjudication in the shadow of codified law that accorded judges discretion to decide particular cases according to their best judgement of the balance of utilities, guaranteeing the accountability and appropriate motivation of judicial decision-making through institutional incentives.The original text of this work, first published in 1986, remains largely unchanged, but an afterward reconsiders and revises some themes in response to criticism.


Book Synopsis Bentham and the Common Law Tradition, 2nd Edition by : Gerald J. Postema

Download or read book Bentham and the Common Law Tradition, 2nd Edition written by Gerald J. Postema and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work explores the relationship between Bentham's utilitarian practical philosophy and his positivist jurisprudence. These theories appear to be in tension because his utilitarian commitment to the sovereignty of utility as a practical decision principles seems inconsistent with his positivist insistence on the sovereignty of the will of the lawmaker. Two themes emerge from the author's attempt in this work to reconcile these two core elements of Bentham's practical thought. First, Bentham's conception of law does not fit the conventional model of legal positivism. Bentham was not just a utilitarian and a positivist; he was a positivist by virtue of his commitment to a utilitarian understanding of the fundamental task of law. Moreover, his emphasis on the necessary publicity and the systematic character of law led him to insist on an essential role for utilitarian reasons in the regular public functioning of law.Second, Bentham's radical critique of common law theory and practice convinced him of the necessity to reconcile the need for certainty of law with an equally great need for its flexibility. He eventually developed a constitutional framework for adjudication in the shadow of codified law that accorded judges discretion to decide particular cases according to their best judgement of the balance of utilities, guaranteeing the accountability and appropriate motivation of judicial decision-making through institutional incentives.The original text of this work, first published in 1986, remains largely unchanged, but an afterward reconsiders and revises some themes in response to criticism.


Bentham and the Common Law Tradition

Bentham and the Common Law Tradition

Author: Gerald J. Postema

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 577

ISBN-13: 0198793057

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Présentation de l'éditeur : "This second edition of a classic in Anglo-American legal philosophy reopens the dialogue between Bentham's work and contemporary legal philosophy. Gerald J. Postema revisits the themes of the first edition in light of the latest scholarly criticism and provides new insights into the historical-philosophical roots of international law"


Book Synopsis Bentham and the Common Law Tradition by : Gerald J. Postema

Download or read book Bentham and the Common Law Tradition written by Gerald J. Postema and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2019 with total page 577 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Présentation de l'éditeur : "This second edition of a classic in Anglo-American legal philosophy reopens the dialogue between Bentham's work and contemporary legal philosophy. Gerald J. Postema revisits the themes of the first edition in light of the latest scholarly criticism and provides new insights into the historical-philosophical roots of international law"


Common Law Theory

Common Law Theory

Author: Douglas E. Edlin

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-10-18

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9780521176156

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In this book, legal scholars, philosophers, historians, and political scientists from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States analyze the common law through three of its classic themes: rules, reasoning, and constitutionalism. Their essays, specially commissioned for this volume, provide an opportunity for thinkers from different jurisdictions and disciplines to talk to each other and to their wider audience within and beyond the common law world. This book allows scholars and students to consider how these themes and concepts relate to one another. It will initiate and sustain a more inclusive and well-informed theoretical discussion of the common law's method, process, and structure. It will be valuable to lawyers, philosophers, political scientists, and historians interested in constitutional law, comparative law, judicial process, legal theory, law and society, legal history, separation of powers, democratic theory, political philosophy, the courts, and the relationship of the common law tradition to other legal systems of the world.


Book Synopsis Common Law Theory by : Douglas E. Edlin

Download or read book Common Law Theory written by Douglas E. Edlin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-10-18 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, legal scholars, philosophers, historians, and political scientists from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States analyze the common law through three of its classic themes: rules, reasoning, and constitutionalism. Their essays, specially commissioned for this volume, provide an opportunity for thinkers from different jurisdictions and disciplines to talk to each other and to their wider audience within and beyond the common law world. This book allows scholars and students to consider how these themes and concepts relate to one another. It will initiate and sustain a more inclusive and well-informed theoretical discussion of the common law's method, process, and structure. It will be valuable to lawyers, philosophers, political scientists, and historians interested in constitutional law, comparative law, judicial process, legal theory, law and society, legal history, separation of powers, democratic theory, political philosophy, the courts, and the relationship of the common law tradition to other legal systems of the world.


Judges and Unjust Laws

Judges and Unjust Laws

Author: Douglas E. Edlin

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2010-07-22

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0472034154

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"With keen insight into the common law mind, Edlin argues that there are rich resources within the law for judges to ground their opposition to morally outrageous laws, and a legal obligation on them to overturn it, consequent on the general common law obligation to develop the law. Thus, seriously unjust laws pose for common law judges a dilemma within the law, not just a moral challenge to the law, a conflict of obligations, not just a crisis of conscience. While rooted firmly in the history of common law jurisprudence, Edlin offers an entirely fresh perspective on an age-old jurisprudential conundrum. Edlin's case for his thesis is compelling." ---Gerald J. Postema, Cary C. Boshamer Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and author of Bentham and the Common Law Tradition "Douglas Edlin builds a powerful historical, conceptual, and moral case for the proposition that judges on common law grounds should refuse to enforce unjust legislation. This is sure to be controversial in an age in which critics already excoriate judges for excessive activism when conducting constitutional judicial review. Edlin's challenge to conventional views is bold and compelling." ---Brian Z. Tamanaha, Chief Judge Benjamin N. Cardozo Professor of Law, St. John's University, and author of Law as a Means to an End: Threat to the Rule of Law "Professor Edlin's fascinating and well-researched distinction between constitutional review and common law review should influence substantially both scholarship on the history of judicial power in the United States and contemporary jurisprudential debates on the appropriate use of that power." ---Mark Graber, Professor of Law and Government, University of Maryland, and author of Dred Scott and the Problem of Constitutional Evil Is a judge legally obligated to enforce an unjust law? In Judges and Unjust Laws, Douglas E. Edlin uses case law analysis, legal theory, constitutional history, and political philosophy to examine the power of judicial review in the common law tradition. He finds that common law tradition gives judges a dual mandate: to apply the law and to develop it. There is no conflict between their official duty and their moral responsibility. Consequently, judges have the authority---perhaps even the obligation---to refuse to enforce laws that they determine unjust. As Edlin demonstrates, exploring the problems posed by unjust laws helps to illuminate the institutional role and responsibilities of common law judges. Douglas E. Edlin is Associate Professor of Political Science at Dickinson College.


Book Synopsis Judges and Unjust Laws by : Douglas E. Edlin

Download or read book Judges and Unjust Laws written by Douglas E. Edlin and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2010-07-22 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "With keen insight into the common law mind, Edlin argues that there are rich resources within the law for judges to ground their opposition to morally outrageous laws, and a legal obligation on them to overturn it, consequent on the general common law obligation to develop the law. Thus, seriously unjust laws pose for common law judges a dilemma within the law, not just a moral challenge to the law, a conflict of obligations, not just a crisis of conscience. While rooted firmly in the history of common law jurisprudence, Edlin offers an entirely fresh perspective on an age-old jurisprudential conundrum. Edlin's case for his thesis is compelling." ---Gerald J. Postema, Cary C. Boshamer Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and author of Bentham and the Common Law Tradition "Douglas Edlin builds a powerful historical, conceptual, and moral case for the proposition that judges on common law grounds should refuse to enforce unjust legislation. This is sure to be controversial in an age in which critics already excoriate judges for excessive activism when conducting constitutional judicial review. Edlin's challenge to conventional views is bold and compelling." ---Brian Z. Tamanaha, Chief Judge Benjamin N. Cardozo Professor of Law, St. John's University, and author of Law as a Means to an End: Threat to the Rule of Law "Professor Edlin's fascinating and well-researched distinction between constitutional review and common law review should influence substantially both scholarship on the history of judicial power in the United States and contemporary jurisprudential debates on the appropriate use of that power." ---Mark Graber, Professor of Law and Government, University of Maryland, and author of Dred Scott and the Problem of Constitutional Evil Is a judge legally obligated to enforce an unjust law? In Judges and Unjust Laws, Douglas E. Edlin uses case law analysis, legal theory, constitutional history, and political philosophy to examine the power of judicial review in the common law tradition. He finds that common law tradition gives judges a dual mandate: to apply the law and to develop it. There is no conflict between their official duty and their moral responsibility. Consequently, judges have the authority---perhaps even the obligation---to refuse to enforce laws that they determine unjust. As Edlin demonstrates, exploring the problems posed by unjust laws helps to illuminate the institutional role and responsibilities of common law judges. Douglas E. Edlin is Associate Professor of Political Science at Dickinson College.


Jeremy Bentham and the Law

Jeremy Bentham and the Law

Author: George W. Keeton

Publisher:

Published: 1948

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Jeremy Bentham and the Law by : George W. Keeton

Download or read book Jeremy Bentham and the Law written by George W. Keeton and published by . This book was released on 1948 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


A Concise History of the Common Law

A Concise History of the Common Law

Author: Theodore Frank Thomas Plucknett

Publisher: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 828

ISBN-13: 1584771372

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Originally published: 5th ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1956.


Book Synopsis A Concise History of the Common Law by : Theodore Frank Thomas Plucknett

Download or read book A Concise History of the Common Law written by Theodore Frank Thomas Plucknett and published by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 828 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published: 5th ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1956.


Common Law – Civil Law

Common Law – Civil Law

Author: Nicoletta Bersier

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-01-01

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 3030877183

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This book offers an in-depth analysis of the differences between common law and civil law systems from various theoretical perspectives. Written by a global network of experts, it explores the topic against the background of a variety of legal traditions.Common law and civil law are typically presented as antagonistic players on a field claimed by diverse legal systems: the former being based on precedent set by judges in deciding cases before them; the latter being founded on a set of rules intended to govern the decisions of those applying them. Perceived in this manner, common law and civil law differ in terms of the (main) source(s) of law; who is to create them; who is (merely) to draw from them; and whether the law itself is pure each step of the way, or whether the law’s purity may be tarnished when confronted with a set of contingent facts. These differences have deep roots in (legal) history – roots that allow us to trace them back to distinct traditions. Nevertheless, it is questionable whether the divide thus depicted is as great as it may seem: international and supranational legal systems unconcerned by national peculiarities appear to level the playing field. A normative understanding of constitutions seems to grant ever-greater authority to High Court decisions based on thinly worded maxims in countries that adhere to the civil law tradition. The challenges contemporary regulation faces call for ever-more detailed statutes governing the decisions of judges in the common law tradition. These and similar observations demand a structural reassessment of the role of judges, the power of precedent, the limits of legislation and other features often thought to be so different in common and civil law systems. The book addresses this reassessment.


Book Synopsis Common Law – Civil Law by : Nicoletta Bersier

Download or read book Common Law – Civil Law written by Nicoletta Bersier and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-01 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers an in-depth analysis of the differences between common law and civil law systems from various theoretical perspectives. Written by a global network of experts, it explores the topic against the background of a variety of legal traditions.Common law and civil law are typically presented as antagonistic players on a field claimed by diverse legal systems: the former being based on precedent set by judges in deciding cases before them; the latter being founded on a set of rules intended to govern the decisions of those applying them. Perceived in this manner, common law and civil law differ in terms of the (main) source(s) of law; who is to create them; who is (merely) to draw from them; and whether the law itself is pure each step of the way, or whether the law’s purity may be tarnished when confronted with a set of contingent facts. These differences have deep roots in (legal) history – roots that allow us to trace them back to distinct traditions. Nevertheless, it is questionable whether the divide thus depicted is as great as it may seem: international and supranational legal systems unconcerned by national peculiarities appear to level the playing field. A normative understanding of constitutions seems to grant ever-greater authority to High Court decisions based on thinly worded maxims in countries that adhere to the civil law tradition. The challenges contemporary regulation faces call for ever-more detailed statutes governing the decisions of judges in the common law tradition. These and similar observations demand a structural reassessment of the role of judges, the power of precedent, the limits of legislation and other features often thought to be so different in common and civil law systems. The book addresses this reassessment.


An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation

An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation

Author: Jeremy Bentham

Publisher:

Published: 1823

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13:

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Bentham's treatise on the foundations of law and government.


Book Synopsis An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation by : Jeremy Bentham

Download or read book An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation written by Jeremy Bentham and published by . This book was released on 1823 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bentham's treatise on the foundations of law and government.


Philosophy of Law: A Very Short Introduction

Philosophy of Law: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Raymond Wacks

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2014-02-27

Total Pages: 197

ISBN-13: 0191510645

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The concept of law lies at the heart of our social and political life. Legal philosophy, or jurisprudence, explores the notion of law and its role in society, illuminating its meaning and its relation to the universal questions of justice, rights, and morality. In this Very Short Introduction Raymond Wacks analyses the nature and purpose of the legal system, and the practice by courts, lawyers, and judges. Wacks reveals the intriguing and challenging nature of legal philosophy with clarity and enthusiasm, providing an enlightening guide to the central questions of legal theory. In this revised edition Wacks makes a number of updates including new material on legal realism, changes to the approach to the analysis of law and legal theory, and updates to historical and anthropological jurisprudence. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.


Book Synopsis Philosophy of Law: A Very Short Introduction by : Raymond Wacks

Download or read book Philosophy of Law: A Very Short Introduction written by Raymond Wacks and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2014-02-27 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The concept of law lies at the heart of our social and political life. Legal philosophy, or jurisprudence, explores the notion of law and its role in society, illuminating its meaning and its relation to the universal questions of justice, rights, and morality. In this Very Short Introduction Raymond Wacks analyses the nature and purpose of the legal system, and the practice by courts, lawyers, and judges. Wacks reveals the intriguing and challenging nature of legal philosophy with clarity and enthusiasm, providing an enlightening guide to the central questions of legal theory. In this revised edition Wacks makes a number of updates including new material on legal realism, changes to the approach to the analysis of law and legal theory, and updates to historical and anthropological jurisprudence. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.