Skip to Main Navigation

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES


The Schools of Nursing and Pharmacy operate on both the Oxford and Jackson campuses. The Schools of Dentistry, Health Related Professionals and Medicine, and the Health Sciences Graduate School, are based in Jackson only. (Additional healthcare programs are available through the School of Applied Sciences on the Oxford campus.) Other than these exceptions, the schools above are on the Oxford campus.

Calendar

Raz's Legal Philosophy, Some Historical Origins

Lectures: Prof. Michael Sevel (University of Sydney, AUS) discusses several philosophical developments which Raz synthesized in his legal philosophy.

Thu
5
Oct

Joseph Raz (1939-2022) was a major philosopher of law of the last half century. But the reception of his legal philosophy has been shaped by relatively narrow debates about the nature of authority and the commitments of Hartian legal positivism.  A more comprehensive assessment of his achievements begins by considering the complex historical origins of his legal philosophy.  I consider three distinct historical strands relevant to understanding some of the central features and general framework of his philosophy of law: developments in moral, political, and legal philosophy regarding the importance of the concept of a reason for action, of the nature of political authority, and the systemic character of positive law, respectively, in the mid-twentieth century.  Raz’s legal philosophy can profitably be viewed as a novel convergence and synthesis of these many developments and influences, as an ambitious attempt to develop a systemic theory of positive law in terms of the concept of authority which is in turn explained from the perspective of practical reason.

For assistance related to a disability, contact Brett King: jbking1@olemiss.edu | 662-915-7020

Event posted by: neoakes@olemiss.edu