Ethics and the Rule of Law

An introduction to the philosophy of law, which offers a modern and critical appraisal of all the main issues and problems. This has become a very active area in the last ten years, and one on which philosophers, legal practitioners and theorists and social scientists have tended to converge. The more abstract questions about the nature of law and its relationship to social norms and moral standards are now seen to be directly relevant to more practical and indeed pressing questions about the justification of punishment, civil disobedience, the enforcement of morality, and problems about justice, rights, welfare, and freedom. David Lyons is a shrewd, clear and systematic guide through this tangled area. The book presupposes no formal training in law or philosophy and is intended to serve as a textbook in a range of introductory courses.

Preface; Introduction; 1. Moral judgment and the law; 2. Law as social fact; 3. Morality in law; 4. Welfare, justice, and distribution; 5. Legal coercion and moral principle; 6. Liberty and law; 7. The rule of law; Notes; Bibliography; Index.