Syllabus

Course description

The course subject matter is the moral foundations of law. We will consider the thinking of philosophers whose work has withstood the test of time. Depth is preferred although we must compromise if we are not to spend all our time on one philosopher. Doing so is tempting, but there are a number of philosophers who could lay claim to such attention - some for the beauty of their thought and others for the extent of their influence, and more than a couple for both reasons. Inevitably, a number of philosophers will be covered, but without making this primarily a survey course.

An important tension in the course is between natural law and legal positivism, although other jurisprudential theories will also be examined. It could hardly be otherwise: this is a principal area of conflict in the modern world. Many see precisely this conflict as the jurisprudential focus of the Nuremberg trials, whose subject was a ghastly horror of unspeakable proportions but apparently sanctioned under the "law" of Nazi Germany.

T-Th 9:00 - 9:50 A.M.

Tuesday, December 12, 1:00 P.M.

due Wednesday, January 3, noon

fall grade distribution, but not individual grades, will be posted on the web in the afternoon (Is is illegal to post individual grades by any identifier, even an exam number, a protection brought to you by the same people who gave you the Internal Revenue Code.)

Time Remaining until Jurisprudence Final Exam on Tuesday, December 12, at 1:00 P.M.: