A Life of H. L. A. Hart: The Nightmare and the Noble Dream

by Nicola Lacey

H.L.A. Hart was the pre-eminent legal philosopher of the twentieth century. As a scholar he single-handedly reinvented the philosophy of law and revolutionized our understanding of law as a social institution. Hart's approach to legal philosophy was at once disarmingly simple and breathtakingly ambitious, combining the insights of the Utilitarian tradition and the new linguistic philosophy of J.L. Austin and Ludwig Wittgenstein. He sought to elucidate a concept of law that would be of relevance to all forms of law, wherever or whenever they arose.

This book is both an intellectual and a psychological biography, following his life from modest origins as the son of Jewish tailor parents in Yorkshire to worldwide fame as the most influential English-speaking legal theorist of the post-War era. It traces his successive metamorphoses; from Yorkshire schoolboy to Oxford scholar, successful barrister, intelligence officer, philosopher, and, finally, Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford.

Nicola Lacey draws upon Hart's previously unpublished diaries and letters to reveal a complex interior life. Outwardly successful, Hart was in fact tormented by doubts about his intellectual abilities, his sexual identity and his capacity to form close relationships. Her biography also sheds fascinating light on the origins of his ideas, and assesses his overall contribution to the philosophy of law. Above all, it is a chronicle of a life which made an impact far greater than many of us realize.

Genres: Law, Philosophy, Biography, Nonfiction

422 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to evaluate. The reason is that, while this book tells the story of a very interesting man, it is probably not on the top of most people's reading lists. If you have never read anything by H.L.A. Hart, it will probably not interest you. That said, Hart's life is full of surprises, and was not nearly as staid as that of a stereotypical academic. Hart constantly struggled with powerful personal demons, including a lifelong attraction to men and intellectual insecurity. However, while this book is not poorly written, the prose is somewhat dry and workmanlike. For example, I think that Lacey overuses primary sources, which she sometimes quotes at length to the detriment of the narrative flow. Where this book shines is in its treatment of Hart's work. A law professor herself, Lacey demonstrates a masterful understanding of both Hart's ideas and those of his interlocutors. She succeeds in limning some of the most compelling legal and philosophical questions of Hart's day, as well as his attempts to answer them. At the very least, this book makes me excited to read more of Hart, whom I consider a genius. Overall, I gained a better understanding of many of Hart's ideas, as well as an increased appreciation of and affection for Hart the man. My review says three stars, but it's a high three; I almost put four.

[Zen Cho · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. It is very weird reading Hart's early love letters to his wife. Also learning about his, in Lacey's words, "homoerotic inclinations".

2. So sad! ;_; The bit especially about how he reads and rereads Law's Empire but can't get a proper hold of the ideas, and he spends ages trying to come up with a rebuttal but never really does, and it is just heartbreaking. I am welling up just thinking about it.

Really a very good biography. I think probably it is even more interesting than it would otherwise have been because Hart reminded me strongly of two of my friends -- not that they're really like him, but a couple of the things he is/says throws up associations.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

PhD reading. Well written but it would have helped if I had some knowledge of jurisprudence.

[Wes Pue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting