Reflections on The concept of law / A.W. Brian Simpson.

Oxford ; Oxford University Press, 2011.

1st edition

80380

Jurisprudence.

Law -- Philosophy.

Law -- History.

1. The apology to the reader

2. The corpus chair and Oxford jurisprudence as evolved by 1952

3. The gladsome light of philosophical jurisprudence

4. The elusive sources of Hart's ideas in 'The Concept of Law'

5. Cyclops, hedgehogs, and foxes

6. Where Homer nodded?

7. Judging a pioneer.

HLA Hart's The Concept of Law is one of the most influential works of philosophy of the 20th century, redefining the field of legal philosophy and introducing generations of students to philosophical reflection on the nature of law. Since its publication in 1961 an industry of academic research and debate has grown up around the book, disputing, refining, and developing Hart's work. Under the sheer volume of competing interpretations of the book the original contexts - cultural and intellectual - that shaped Hart's project can be obscured. This book attempts to sweep aside the volumes of academic criticism and return to ‘Troy I’, revealing the world of post-war Oxford that produced Hart and his famous book. Drawing on personal experience of studying and teaching in Oxford at the time Hart developed The Concept of Law, this book recreates the social and intellectual culture of Oxford philosophy and the law faculty in the 1950s. It traces Hart's early work and influences, within and outside Oxford, showing how Hart developed his picture of philosophy and its potential for enriching the understanding of law. It also lays bare the painful shortcomings of post-war Oxford academia, depicting a world of eccentric dons and intellectual Cyclopses - isolated and closed to broad, interdisciplinary exchange - arguing that Hart did not escape from the limitations of his intellectual world. - Abstract

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Oxford scholarship online. Law collection.

9780199693320

9780191731983

1 online resource (viii, 220 pages) : PDF