Philosophy of Law: An Introduction

"Philosophy of Law: An Introduction" provides an ideal starting point to students of philosophy and law, assuming no prior knowledge of either subject. The book is structured around the key issues and themes in philosophy of law: - What is the law? - the major legal theories including realism, positivism and natural law - The reach of the law - authority, rights, liberty, privacy and tolerance - Criminal responsibility and punishment - legal defenses, crime, diminished responsibility and theories of punishment. The second edition expands the original focus on mainstream legal theory to look at contemporary critical perspectives such as feminist theories on pornography and freedom of speech, and Foucault's radical approach to criminal responsibility. "Philosophy of Law" has also been updated to include recent developments such as cases of conjoined twins, and the Human Rights Act. With study questions at the end of each chapter, and a new conclusion assessing both traditional legal theory and the various critical perspectives, this is the ideal textbook for introducing students to the philosophy of law.