Hart is clearly the leading contemporary le- gal positivist in Anglo-American jurisprudence. This status is acknowledged by both his critics and defenders alike. Yet it seems many neglect to look deeply enough at his view on morality and the law.

How is Hart a legal positivist?

The Concept of Law presents Hart’s theory of legal positivism—the view that laws are rules made by humans and that there is no inherent or necessary connection between law and morality—within the framework of analytic philosophy. Hart sought to provide a theory of descriptive sociology and analytical jurisprudence.

Who is the father of legal positivism?

Jeremy Bentham



Bentham was perhaps the most prominent British Legal Positivist who laid down the groundwork of Positivist legal philosophy with the Sovereign at its helm. He discusses two categories of people concerned with the legal system.

What type of theorist is Hart?





Hart’s jurisprudential theory. Hart maintained that every legal system is underlain by a rule of recognition through which officials of the system identify the norms that belong to the system as laws.

Who are the theorists of legal positivism?

The most important architects of contemporary legal positivism are the Austrian jurist Hans Kelsen (1881–1973) and the two dominating figures in the analytic philosophy of law, H.L.A. Hart (1907–92) and Joseph Raz, among whom there are clear lines of influence, but also important contrasts.

What is the legal positivism?


Quote from video: Theory is called legal positivism. If you have experience with the history of analytic philosophy then you may already be familiar with the term positivism as a name for a group of philosophical views

What is the contribution of HLA Hart to analytical legal positivism?



L. A. Hart reinvigorated legal positivism by disconnecting it from the command theory of law defended by his predecessors Bentham and Austin; by introducing through his own theory of law some new and fruitful concepts into legal thinking, such as the internal point of view, the distinction between primary and secondary

Is Hart a soft positivism?

His theory has come to be known as soft positivism because, though denying a necessary connection between law and morality, he asserts that there sometimes are connections between morality and the law. Hart’s theory is outlined in Chapter II.



Is Hart an inclusive positivism?

In the posthumously published Postscript to The Concept of Law (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994, 2nd ed.), 251–4, Hart declared himself an inclusive positivist: he was influenced here by the major statement of this position in Wil Waluchow, Inclusive Legal Positivism (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), a work which he had

Is Hart a natural law theorists?

Hart stated that law and morality are very close, though not necessarily related. He is deeply sympathetic to what he calls “the core of good sense of natural law” and believes that law should continually be subject to moral scrutiny. Hart endorses the formal principle of justice as desirable in any legal system.

What is Hans Kelsen theory of legal positivism?

Kelsen is a peculiar legal positivist by Anglophone standards because he rejects the social thesis. As Kelsen sees it, law does not ultimately depend upon social facts about a community’s legal practices. The legal order is normative and so stands outside the spatiotemporal and causal world of nature.

What is Thomas Hobbes legal positivism?



Legal positivism is often described as the view that there is no necessary relationship between law and moral values.

Who is the father of legal method?

Savigny was the most famous lawyer not only of his epoch. His name has surpassed those of many luminaries of past centuries and the current one. Even today he occupies an impor- tant place in every legal, many biographical, and even some of the major literary encyclopaedias.

Who is the father of legal approach?

About John Austin (in brief)



He was the founder and father of the Analytical school of law. He is known for his theory of sovereignty and legal positivism mentioned in his book “Province of Jurisprudence”. In his initial career, he has served in the army for 5 years and also in the chancery bar of the UK.

What is an example of legal positivism?

Legal Positivism’s View on Law



For the legal positivist, if a teacher has been vested with the authority to make rules, then the teacher’s rules govern, whether or not those subject to the rules agree with them. Law is synonymous with what has been posited, or passed by the legislator.

Is legal positivism relevant today?



A number of legal philosophers claim that legal positivism is the leading theory of law today. Nonetheless, there are many complaints that legal positivism is excessively abstract and irrelevant to real life concerns.