Details
- Complex ideas are explained clearly, yet without avoiding the complexities and subtleties of the subject
- Engaging writing style makes this a highly readable and interesting account for both law and non-law students
- Accompanied by an extensive Online Resource Centre which includes advice on studying jurisprudence, interactive glossary of key terms, further reading, and analysis of topical controversies, such as political debates and current legal problems
- Includes further reading suggestions and questions for each chapter, encouraging students to engage critically with key debates and aiding future research
- Covers the key thinkers and theories covered on most jurisprudence and legal theory courses
- Includes coverage of non-Western legal traditions
New to this edition
- Extended coverage of natural law, to include a discussion of Finnis' 2011 postscript to his Natural Law and Natural Rights
- Developed discussion of American Realism
- Enhanced coverage of legal pluralism
- Updated analysis of the works of Shapiro and Dworkin
- Also features significantly re-written sections to achieve even greater clarity and accessibility, as well as new questions and updated reading lists
With a clear, engaging, and informal writing style, Understanding Jurisprudence is the perfect guide for students new to legal theory and looking for a convenient and interesting starting point for this sometimes daunting subject.
Key theories and theorists are introduced in a compact and manageable format, offering an accessible account of the central ideas without oversimplification. Further reading suggestions are included throughout, helping students to structure their research and navigate the many texts and articles available in this subject area. Critical questions are also included in each chapter, to encourage students to think analytically about the law and the key ideas and debates which surround it.
Professor Wacks is an experienced teacher of jurisprudence and excels in providing a concise, student-friendly introduction to the subject, without avoiding the subtleties of this fascinating discipline.
An extensive Online Resource Centre also accompanies this text (www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/orc/wacks3e/) and includes the following valuable resources:
- Author analysis of topical controversies such as political debates and current legal problems, to keep you informed of the relevance of jurisprudence to everyday life
- Interactive self-test glossary of key terms
- Additional chapters on approaching the study of jurisprudence, including revision and examination tips
- Further reading suggestions, including links to relevant and recent journal articles
- Useful weblinks
- Self-test questions on the key ideas from each chapter, with instant feedback
Readership: This book provides an invaluable introduction to legal theory not only for students of law but also for those studying politics, philosophy and other social sciences.
- Contents:
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Natural law and morality
- 3: Classical legal positivism
- 4: Modern legal positivism
- 5: Dworkin and the moral integrity of law
- 6: Legal realism
- 7: Law and social theory
- 8: Historical and anthropological jurisprudence
- 9: Theories of justice
- 10: Rights
- 11: Why obey the law?
- 12: Why punish?
- 13: Critical legal theory
- 14: Feminist and critical race theory
- 15: Jurisprudence understood?;
Raymond Wacks, Emeritus Professor of Law and Legal Theory, University of Hong Kong
Professor Raymond Wacks has taught jurisprudence for thirty years in three jurisdictions. He has published more than twenty books and numerous articles on legal philosophy, the right of privacy, and human and animal rights. His Philosophy of Law: A Very Short Introduction has been translated into many languages including Chinese, Japanese, Greek, and Arabic. Professor Wacks' first novel White Lies appeared in 2010.
Review(s) from previous edition
"An admirably clear, extremely helpful, and accurate, up-to-date introduction to this formidable subject. The elegance of the writing and the breadth of knowledge - displayed here in such an easily accessible form - make it essential reading for every student of Jurisprudence. - Professor Stephen Guest, Professor of Legal Philosophy, University College London
"Where and whenever I will exert any influence on the reading list for a course on jurisprudence, I will make sure that Professor Raymond Wacks' excellent book Understanding Jurisprudence will be included." - Carl-Fredrik Choler, University of Orebro, Sweden
