Ross, Alf Niels Christian (1899–1979) was a Danish jurist and philosopher and professor of law at the University of Copenhagen where he taught international law, constitutional law, and jurisprudence. The fundamental theme in Ross’s jurisprudential writings concerns the philosophical approach to the question of legal knowledge, and his answer can be divided into four phases: (1) from 1923 to 1930 is influenced by Hans Kelsen, (2) from 1930 to 1940 is influenced by Axel Hägerström, (3) from 1940 to 1960 is influenced by logical positivism, and (4) from 1960 to 1970 is influenced by the Oxford philosophy of linguistic philosophy.
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Ross graduated in law in 1922 and received a scholarship to study abroad and stayed in Vienna (1924–1926) where he attended Hans Kelsen’s seminars and also wrote his manuscript Theorie der Rechtsquellen.Ross subscribes to the neo-Kantian view that philosophy is a transcendental inquiry grounded in reason concerned with the conditions of cognition in terms...
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References
Alf Ross
(1929) Theorie der Rechtsquellen. Ein Beitrag zur Theorie des positiven Rechts auf Grundlage dogmenhistorischer Untersuchungen. Leipzig und Wien
(1933) Kritik der sogenannten praktischen Erkenntnis. Zugleich Prolegomena zu einer Kritik der Rechtswissenschaft. Kopenhagen und Leipzig
(1934) Virkelighed og Gyldighed i Retslæren. En Kritik af den teoretiske Retsvidenskabs Grundbegreber, København
(1936) Den rene retslæres 25-års jubilæum. Tidssskrift for Rettsvitenskap pp 304–331, The 25th Anniversary of the Pure Theory of Law, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 31, 2011 pp 243–272, transl. and comments by Henrik Palner Olsen
(1941) On the illusion of consciousness. Do mental data (Phenomena of consciousness”) exist? Theoria 171–202
(1945) On the logical nature of propositions of value. Theoria 172–210
(1946) Towards a realistic jurisprudence. A criticism of the dualism in law. Copenhagen
(1947) A textbook of international law. General part. London
(1950) Constitution of the United Nations. Analysis of structure and function. Copenhagen
(1952) Why democracy? Cambridge, MA
(1951) Tû-Tû, Festskrift til Henry Ussing edt. O. A.B.orum & Knud Illum, København, pp 468–484
(1953) Om Ret og Retfærdighed En indførelse i den analytiske retsfilosofi. København
(1956–1957) Tû- Tû. Harvard Law Rev 70:812–825
(1958) On law and justice (trans: Margaret Dutton, London)
(1966) Dansk Statsforfatningsret Bd 1–2, København 1959–60, 2. udg. København
(1968) Directives and norms (trans: Loar B). London
(1975) On guilt, responsibility and punishment. London
(1998) Validity and the conflict between legal positivism and natural law. Revista Juridica de Buenos Aires 1961, Reprinted in Normativity and Norms, edt. Stanley L. Paulson and Bonnie Litschewsski Paulson, Oxford, pp 147–163
The United Nations (1966) Peace and progress. Bedminster
Account and Critique of Alf Ross
(1960–1961) Stone, Julius, ‘Social Engineers’ and ‘Rational Technologists’. Review of Alf Ross, On law and justice, Stanford Law Review, vol 13, pp 670–696
(2003) Symposium on Alf Ross and international law. Eur J Int Law 14:653–841
Arnholm CJ (1957) Some basic problems of jurisprudence. Scand Stud Law 1:9–50
Bindreiter U (2013) The Realist Hans Kelsen. In: Duarte d’Almeida L, Gardner J, Green L (eds) Kelsen revisited, new essays on the pure theory of law. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 101–129
Bjarup J, Ross A(2008) In: Der Kreis um Hans Kelsen. Die Anfangsjahre der reinen Rechtslehre, Hrsg. Walter/Jabloner/Zeleny, Schriftenreihe des Hans Kelsen-Instituts Band 30, Wien, pp 409–443
Blackshield AR (1959–1961) Pragmatism and valid law, review of Alf Ross. Law Justice Sydney Law Rev (3):492–503
Castberg F (1957) Problems of legal philosophy. Oslo University Press, Oslo
Evald J, Ross A (2014) A life. PJØF, Copenhagen
Greene TM (1935) Review of Alf Ross, Kritik der sogenannten praktischen Erkenntnis. Philos Rev 44:299–309
Hart HLA (1959) Scandinavian realism. Camb Law J 233–240. Reprinted in Essays in jurisprudence and philosophy. Oxford, Chapter 6, pp 161–169, 1983
Hägerström A (1931) Till frågan om begrepept gällande rätt. Rec. av Alf Ross, Theorie der Rechtsquerllen, (Concerning the Concept of Valid Law. A Review of Alf Ross, Theorie der Rechtsquellen) Tidsskrift for Rettsvitenskap, pp 48–91
Hans K (2013) Eine ‘realistische’ und die reine Rechtslehre, Österreichische Zeitschrift für öffentliches Recht, Neue Folge Band 10, 1959/60, pp 1–25. This article is translated by Luis Duarte d’Almeida and published in Kelsen Revisited. New Essays on the Pure Theory of Law, edt. Luis Duarte d’Almeida, John Gardner, and Leslie Green, Oxford, pp 195–221. The article reproduces the German pagination
Lauridsen PS (1976) On a fundamental problem in the legal theory of prediction. Scand Stud Law 20:179–204
Munzer S (1972) Legal validity. The Hague
Olivecrona K (1939) Law as fact, 1st ed. Copenhagen
Redmount RS (1958–1959) Psychological view in jurisprudential theories. Univ Pa Law Rev 107:472–513
Simpson AWB (1964) The analysis of legal concepts. Law Q Rev 80:535–558
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Bjarup, J. (2017). Alf Ross. 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_27-1
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