The Duty to Obey the Law - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0847692558 ISBN 13: 9780847692552

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1999

Synopsis

The question_Why should I obey the law? _introduces a contemporary puzzle that is as old as philosophy itself. The puzzle is especially troublesome if we think of cases in which breaking the law is not otherwise wrongful, and in which the chances of getting caught are negligible. Philosophers from Socrates to H.L.A. Hart have struggled to give reasoned support to the idea that we do have a general moral duty to obey the law but, more recently, the greater number of learned voices has expressed doubt that there is any such duty, at least as traditionally conceived.

About this title

About the Author:

William A. Edmundson is professor at Georgia State University College of Law. He is the author of Three Anarchical Fallacies: An Essay on Political Authority (1998, Cambridge University Press).

Review:

This volume brings together the most important recent work on the question of political obligation. It is an excellent collection of the central work in the field... (Ethics: An International Journal of Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy)

Edmundson's anthology is full of well-selected readings that define the range of the problem in its most current incarnation. His contributions and summaries are insightful and will promote valuable discussion. (Philosophy in Review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0847692558
• ISBN 13: 9780847692552
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 362
• Editor: Edmundson William A.