Jurisprudence

by Suri Ratnapala

The third edition of Jurisprudence offers a logically structured, comprehensive, well-researched and accessible overview of legal theory and philosophy. Written primarily for undergraduate students, it examines and demystifies the discipline's major ideas, and promotes a richer understanding of the social, moral and economic dimensions of the law. By locating the major traditions of jurisprudence within the history of ideas, the author deepens students' understanding of the perennial debates about the nature and function of law and its relation to justice. Fully revised and updated, with new materials on all topics, Suri Ratnapala's Jurisprudence remains an essential text for students and researchers of jurisprudence and legal theory.

426 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2009

Reviews

[Colm Gillis]

This is basically an encyclopaedia of the major schools of jurisprudence within Western thought. It was written quite well. The first half of the book flowed but the lattter half was a bit all over the place. The structure could have been re-thought. There were times when the author gave a personal opinion as opposed to analysing the particular system of jurisprudence. The book could do with certain revisions but generally serves as a useful handbook for jurisprudence.

[Phillip]

This book critically assesses the major schools of jurisprudential thought throughout history and to the present, from Plato and Aristotle to Enlightenment and economic analysts. The book challenges students to reconsider their moral intuitions in light of established theories. Highly Recommended!

[Lloyd Carman]

Not incredibly comprehensive but gave a well-structured rundown of the main contributions to the field.