Introduction
Joseph Raz emerged in the 1970s as one of the most influential contemporary writers in the philosophy of law. His work in analytical legal theory continues a rich tradition running from Thomas Hobbes to Jeremy Bentham, John Austin, Hans Kelsen, and H.L.A. Hart. While Raz’s views certainly embody a theory of law, he does nothing so simple as saying “law is.” Rather, he provides interdependent analyses of central characteristics of law, usefully approached through his analysis of legal norms – the building blocks of legal system – as special kinds of practical reasons for action. This central view is explained in section “Legal Norms as Second-Order Reasons,” followed by explanation of his other distinctive contributions to legal philosophy. These include an account of the authoritative nature of law (section “Law’s Authority”), a rejection of the legal positivist “separation thesis” which nonetheless preserves the positivist insight about the moral fallibility of law...
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Giudice, M. (2017). Raz, Joseph. In: Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_23-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_23-1
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