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Law's Empire

Disciplines:
jurisprudence/philosophy of law

Summary

Dworkin's most systematic work in legal philosophy — presenting law as an 'interpretive' practice and arguing that judges should approach hard cases through the ideal of 'law as integrity.'

Core Contribution

Law as integrity: judges should treat the law as if it were authored by a single coherent moral agent — finding the interpretation that best fits and justifies the legal practice as a whole. Hercules: the ideal judge with unlimited time and knowledge — a heuristic for understanding what judicial reasoning aspires to. Interpretivism vs. conventionalism vs. pragmatism: three rival theories of law assessed and rejected in favor of integrity.

Historical Influences

H.L.A. Hart Ronald Dworkin's earlier work

Intellectual Lineage

Analytic Philosophy of Law

Allied Works

Taking Rights Seriously A Matter of Principle Justice for Hedgehogs

Contemporaries & Peers

The Problem of Legal AuthorityNatural Law and Natural Rights

Minds Influenced

Constitutional Theory Legal Hermeneutics

Intellectual Posterity

Legal Interpretivism Constitutional Theory

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