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The Autonomy of Law: Essays on Legal Positivism

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Though this book comes at a seemingly hefty price tag, I believe it is a testament to the thorough diligence of dedicated and intelligent scholars of jurisprudence committing a quite sophisticated and thorough collection of essays on legal positivism.

Edited by the renowned expert of Constitutional Law Robert George of Princeton University, this array of essays presents an eclectic scope of perspectives regarding legal positivism. The precise association of law and morality remains for many people one of the most central issues in the theory of law, and these authors successfully (though certainly not simplistically) dissect the traditionally salient theories of this association, as well as the debates accompanying those theories. Inserting their own criticisms as well, their expositions can be often dense, wordy, and even pedantic at times, but the reader simply must apply the same diligence in discerning the arguments that the authors exercised in constructing them. Professors in law and philosophy tend not to dumb down their material.

Two of the more appealing essays for me were discussions on the importance of legal positivism in today's courtrooms contrasted with its importance in yesterday's law journals, and the related (though different) Autonomy Thesis of law: which is examined with regards to its worth in framing the concept and function of law.

In the end, an impressive overview.