PHIL327 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Westphalian Sovereignty, Blackletter, Revolutionary History

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL327
• Professor: Brian Orend

Document Summary

A principled stance would (cid:271)e (cid:858)i (cid:449)ill (cid:374)ot pa(cid:455) ta(cid:454)es i(cid:374) p(cid:396)otest of ho(cid:449) the(cid:455) a(cid:396)e (cid:271)ei(cid:374)g spe(cid:374)t(cid:859) De to(cid:272)(cid:395)ue(cid:448)ille (cid:272)oi(cid:374)ed the ph(cid:396)ase (cid:858)t(cid:455)(cid:396)a(cid:374)(cid:374)(cid:455) of the (cid:373)ajo(cid:396)it(cid:455)(cid:859) Some disagree e(cid:448)e(cid:374) (cid:449)ith a(cid:449)ls(cid:859) a(cid:396)gu(cid:373)e(cid:374)t a(cid:374)d sa(cid:455) that it (cid:373)a(cid:455) (cid:271)e pe(cid:396)(cid:373)issi(cid:271)le to violate the laws even of a generally just, democratic society. Example: (cid:858)defia(cid:374)(cid:272)e (cid:373)a(cid:396)(cid:396)iages(cid:859) i(cid:374) suppo(cid:396)t of legalizi(cid:374)g ga(cid:455) (cid:373)a(cid:396)(cid:396)iage. What roots the legitimacy and authourity of the law, or, does anything, beyond raw power and physical force, and fear of being subjected to such: constitutional law concerns itself, at least partially, with such things. According to a positivist, the law much be public, not private. C(cid:895) i(cid:374) light of this p(cid:396)i(cid:448)ate li(cid:272)e(cid:374)(cid:272)e to (cid:858)pi(cid:272)k a(cid:374)d (cid:272)hoose(cid:859) (cid:374)atu(cid:396)al la(cid:449) theo(cid:396)(cid:455) is a(cid:374) irresponsible recipe for law-breaking and chaos. Positivism: narrow/strict defintion: the law is nothing more than the set of commands enforced by the sovereign authority in any given jurisdiction (the law is supposed to be value-free and objective)