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1、LEGALRESEARCHPAPERSERIESPaperNo30/2011May2011PhilosophyofLaw:IntroductionJOHNFINNISThispapercanbedownloadedwithoutchargefromtheSocialScienceResearchNetworkelectroniclibraryat:http://ssrn.com/abstract=1850674AnindextotheworkingpapersintheUniversityofOxfordLegalResearchP
2、aperSeriesislocatedat:Electroniccopyavailableat:http://ssrn.com/abstract=1850674INTRODUCTIONMaking,acknowledging,andcomplyingwithlawinvolvesactsofrationaljudgment.Thereasonablenessandjusti$cationoftheseactscannotbeass
3、essedwithoutpremisesabouttruehumangoods,thenatureofpersonsandtheiracts,andthecontoursofthecommongoodandhumanrights.Soavolumeonthephilosophyoflaw$ttinglycomesfourth.Issuesoflegaldoctrineandinterpretationresolvablebytechniqueusuallyhavesomeintellectualappeal.Butlegalstud
4、iesarereallyattractiveandworthwhilebecauselaw,andjuristicargumentation,isanarenawherethemesandthesesinethics,politicaltheory,andrelatedphilosophicaldomainsallcometobearon—andcrystallizeoutin—legislatingandadjudicatingtomakeadi*erencetohumanpersons.I.FOUNDATIONSOFLAW’SA
5、UTHORITYVerymanylegaltheorists,somemovedbyoneconcern,somebyanotherorotherconcerns,havethoughtthatlawisessentiallya(kindof)socialfact,andthattheaccountsofitappropriatetolegaltheoryarepurelydescriptive.Thesocialfactstobedescribedwill,ofcourse,includecountlessevaluations(
6、bylaw-makers,-$nders,and-enforcers),especiallyideasabouthowmembersoftherelevantsocietyshould(accordingtolaw)behave.Butthedescriptiveaccountsthemselves,itisusuallysupposed,canandshouldbevalue-free.Oneconcernmotivatingthesemeta-theoreticalthoughtswaspolitical:Bentham’sbe
7、liefthat,absentasocialfactastransparentasstatutoryenactment,law-$ndingiscorruptedbytheclassprejudicesandpartisanshipofjudicialcabals(‘JudgeandCo.’).Anotherconcernwasphilosophical:Bentham’sempiricistbeliefthatifwhatweorjudgesrefertolacksthetangibilityofsounds,marks,andm
8、entalimages,itcanbenomorethana$ction.Amorerecentconcernisthat,givenpluralityofvaluesandbeliefs(‘thefactofpluralism’),