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Taking Rights Seriously
 
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Taking Rights Seriously [Paperback]

Ronald Dworkin

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Taking Rights Seriously + Law's Empire (Legal Theory) + The Concept of Law (Clarendon Law Series), 2nd Ed.
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Review

'A review cannot do full justice to Taking Rights Seriously. It is a tightly packed, energetic and profound book, the result of deep study and teaching... it is also well-written and easy to read.' --Times Literary Supplement

'Quite exceptionally erudite and sophisticated.' --Lord Hailsham

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What is law? What is it for? How should judges decide novel cases when the statutes and earlier decisions provide no clear answer? Do judges make up new law in such cases, or is there some higher law in which they discover the correct answer? Must everyone always obey the law? If not, when is a citizen morally free to disobey?

A renowned philosopher enters the debate surrounding these questions. Clearly and forcefully, Ronald Dworkin argues against the "ruling" theory in Anglo-American law-legal positivism and economic utilitarianism and asserts that individuals have legal rights beyond those explicitly laid down and that they have political and moral rights against the state that are prior to the welfare of the majority.

Mr. Dworkin criticizes in detail the legal positivists' theory of legal rights, particularly H. L. A. Hart's well-known version of it. He then develops a new theory of adjudication, and applies it to the central and politically important issue of cases in which the Supreme Court interprets and applies the Constitution. Through an analysis of Rawls's theory of justice, he argues that fundamental among political rights is the right of each individual to the equal respect and concern of those who govern him. He offers a theory of compliance with the law designed not simply to answer theoretical questions about civil disobedience, but to function as a guide for citizens and officials. Finally, Professor Dworkin considers the right to liberty, often thought to rival and even pre-empt the fundamental right to equality. He argues that distinct individual liberties do exist, but that they derive, not from some abstract right to liberty as such, but from the right to equal concern and respect itself. He thus denies that liberty and equality are conflicting ideals.

Ronald Dworkin's theory of law and the moral conception of individual rights that underlies it have already made him one of the most influential philosophers working in this area. This is the first publication of these ideas in book form. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


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Amazon.com:  8 reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Absolute Classic 29 July 2006
By Dimitrios Tsarapatsanis - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Things are quite simple. If there is A contemporary debate in jurisprudence, it is the so-called Hart/Dworkin debate. It all starts with this wonderful book that cuts deeply and challenges the theory of legal positivism on many levels. As for the theory of rights, Dworkin is a proponent of one of the most coherent, interesting and complex articulations of liberalism. In short: to the extent that fundamental rights are in play, the "political majority" (if such a thing exists) does not have the moral right to tell members of the minority what to do with their own lives. Is not this a simple but powerful moral truth?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
provokes thoughts but not answers 1 April 2011
By Siwash - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
There are harder works to read in jurisprudence. Ronald Dworkin's book is a modern classic, and it is thought provoking and a great introduction to many of the topics in the field. It's good.

My concern is that he uses a good bit of the book to bash H.L.A. Hart's theory of law. Fine. That COULD have been a useful way to present ideas, but instead Mr. Dworkin provides a very thin strawman of Hart's real argument. And, then, predictably bashes it for its weakness!

So it goes. Dworkin can be a powerful writer, and the book is worth knowing and worth reading.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A thoughtful argument of judicial review 19 Feb 2011
By Enjolras - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Unlike a lot of the scholarship out their debating standards for judicial review, Dworkin's work is both moderate, clearly argued, and intellectually compelling. He argues that many constitutional rights and clauses have strong moral components to them, and as such it is these moral principles judges should interpret. This is in contrast to originalism, which tries to enforce the policy preferences of the founders, not just the concepts they left us with. However, Dworkin also states it might contradict some liberal excesses, particularly judges who substitute their own policy preferences in for faithfulness to the constitution. Throughout, Dworkin is clear in his assumptions, direct in his writing, and tries to engage the reader in a serious conversation (rather than speaking over the readers' heads). I'm not sure I personally would go as far as Dworkin, or even agree with him, but it's nice to finally see a strong argument in defense of a liberal theory of constitutional interpretation.

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