The Philosophy of Law

This commentary provides a detailed analysis and interpretation of Kant’s “Doctrine of Right,” with particular focus on his concepts of right, justice, and legal obligations.

Hegel famously critiques Kant’s ethics as being overly universalistic. He asserts how the moral imperative was nothing more than a principal of non-contradiction.

This article re-articulates Kant’s Doctrine of Right and seeks to correct a misreading of Kant which infer that legal obligation in the instrumental benefits conferred by law. Instead they argue that Kant’s Right cannot be secured unilaterally but is rather connected to a constitution which then…

This edition contains some of Kant’s shorter works on Universal History, Political Right, Principle of Progress, and Perpetual Peace. The Philosophy of Law in this edition could be of particular interest for readers of The Philosophy of Law.

This podcast produced by Oxford University discusses Kant’s views on morality and the categorical imperative and provides context to The Philosophy of Law.

Korsgaard extensively engages with Kantian ethics, offering a contemporary perspective on the foundations of moral norms.

Hobbes’s own ‘philosophy of law’ is discussed in Leviathan, which differs from Kant’s and imagines the law as the primary instrument of the sovereign.