Philosophy 290-8

This course is an introduction to (primarily) analytical legal theory through a close reading of some of the most important texts and arguments about the nature of law and legal authority of the last 50 years. We will pay special attention to questions of the relation of law to politics, history, and morality, and to questions about the philosophical justification (if there is) for the special role of courts in maintaining political order. Among the authors we will read are: H.L.A. Hart, Hans Kelsen, Ronald Dworkin, Jurgen Habermas, Joseph Raz, Scott Shapiro, Seana Shiffrin, and Jeremy Waldron. The course presupposes no prior work in philosophy or legal theory.