Jurisprudence: From The Greeks To Post-Modernity

by Wayne Morrison

This challenging book on jurisprudence begins by posing questions in the post-modern context,and then seeks to bridge the gap between our traditions and contemporary situation. It offers a narrative encompassing the birth of western philosophy in the Greeks and moves through medieval Christendom, Hobbes, the defence of the common law with David Hume, the beginnings of utilitarianism in Adam Smith, Bentham and John Stuart Mill, the hope for enlightenment with Kant, Rousseau, Hegel and Marx, onto the more pessimistic warnings of Weber and Nietzsche. It defends the work of Austin against the reductionism of HLA Hart, analyses the period of high modernity in the writings of Kelsen, Hart and Fuller, and compares the different approaches to justice of Rawls and Nozick. The liberal defence of legality in Ronald Dworkin is contrasted with the more disillusioned accounts of the critical legal studies movement and the personalised accounts of prominent feminist writers.

Genres: Law

600 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

Reviews

[William Jiang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wayne Morrison's Jurisprudence: From The Greeks To Post-Modernity serves as a textbook par excellence, particularly well-suited for a philosophy major aiming to gain a deep and contextualized understanding of the philosophy of law. Its primary strength lies in its comprehensive historical scope, which constructs a continuous narrative from the foundational thinkers of Western philosophy among the Greeks through the major developments of medieval Christendom and the Enlightenment to Postmodernism.

However, I want to highlight a significant practical concern that could limit the book's effectiveness for contemporary readers. While the content is strong, the physical or digital presentation seems to detract from the learning experience. The suggestion to release a revised version to edit the typesetting and correct minor typographical mistakes is crucial. In a field as complex as jurisprudence, where precision in language and clarity in presentation are paramount, poor layout can make following intricate arguments unnecessarily difficult. Addressing these editorial issues would significantly improve the book's accessibility and ensure that the challenging nature of the material stems from its philosophical depth rather than from poor production quality, thereby making it a more polished and effective tool for today's readers.