Law and Philosophy Workshop

The Law and Philosophy Workshop is not a CAS workshop; it is run through the Law School. It meets several times each quarter all year (Autumn/Winter/Spring) on Mondays, 4:00 - 6:00 pm. The 2023-24 Workshop theme will be “Advanced Topics in General Jurisprudence,” co-taught by Brian Leiter and the Law-Philosophy Postdoctoral Fellow, Alma Diamond.

Students are admitted by permission of Professor Leiter. They should submit a c.v. and a statement (reasons for interest in the course, relevant background in law and/or philosophy) to the instructors by e-mail. PhD students in Philosophy do not need permission. Usual participants include graduate students in philosophy and political science, as well as law students. Anyone who wants to be on the email list for the papers, and also if they want to read a particular paper, should contact Lorrie Ragland.

Description: The Workshop will explore in more depth issues touched upon in the basic course on “general jurisprudence” at the Law School.  General jurisprudence is that part of philosophy of law concerned with the central questions about the nature of law, the relationship between law and morality, and the nature of legal reasoning.   Students who have taken Leiter’s “Jurisprudence I” course at the law school are welcome to enroll.  Students who have not taken Jurisprudence I must contact the Professor Leiter with information about their prior study of legal philosophy.   Detailed familiarity with Hart’s The Concept of Law and Dworkin’s criticisms of Hart is essential.   Scheduled speakers for the Workshop include Thomas Adams (Oxford), Mark Greenberg (UCLA), Giorgio Pino (Rome III), Louis Duarte D’Almeida (Lisbon), Daniel Wodak (Penn), and the Law & Philosophy Fellow Alma Diamond, among others.

Prerequisites: Jurisprudence I, or instructor permission based on similar background in jurisprudence.