HART'S FAMOUS INAUGURAL LECTURE

HART, H. L. A.

Definition & Theory in Jurisprudence. An Inaugural Lecture delivered before the University of Oxford on 30 May 1953.

Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1953. 8vo. Uncut in the original printed wrappers. Faint fading to extremities of wrappers. Near mint. 28 pp.

First printing of Hart's famous inaugural lecture. In this lecture "Hart suggested that fundamental legal notions could be elucidated by methods properly adapted to their special character. Hart opposed the quest for definitions of expressions such as "law", "state", "right" and "corporation". It is futile, he claimed, to search for a counterpart to such notions in the "real world" or to apply the method of definition 'per genus et differentiam': positioning the notion within a glass or generic groups of which it is perceived to be a member, then listing the features which differentiate it from other notions within the same class. A definition of "law" as a member of the general class of rules of behavior was rejected in 'The Concept of Law' because the concept of "rule" is itself problematic as that of "law", in Hart's view." (Ross, Law as a Social Institution", Pp. 39-40).

The legal philosopher Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart (1907-1992) is famous for his immensely influential contributions to legal philosophy, including his theory of legal positivism, which is developed on the basis of analytic philosophy. By using the tools of analytic philosophy and philosophy of language, clearly inspired by philosophers like Wittgenstein, in his attempts to solve the problems of legal theory, Hart came to revolutionize the way that jurisprudence and philosophy of law is conducted in especially America and Great Britain, and as such, his work is considered the main reason why English-language theory of law is now accepted as a natural part of philosophy.

Order-nr.: 47732