The Concept of Law

Fifty years on from its original publication, HLA Hart's The Concept of Law is widely recognized as the most important work of legal philosophy published in the twentieth century. It is a classic book in the field of legal scholarship and remains the starting point for many students approaching the subject for the first time. Known as Hart's most famous work, The Concept of Law emerged from a set of lectures Hart delivered in 1952, developing a sophisticated view of legal positivism. Hart revolutionized jurisprudence and legal philosophy in the English-speaking world by applying analytic and linguistic philosophy to key problems of legal theory. In this third edition, Leslie Green provides a new introduction that contextualizes the book in subsequent social and political philosophical developments, clarifies misunderstandings of Hart's project, and highlights central tensions and issues. The Concept of Law remains essential reading for those interested in 20th-century thought.