PHIL-P 375 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW (3 CR.)
Selective survey of philosophical problems concerning law and the legal system. Topics include nature and validity of law, morality and law, legal obligation, judicial decision, rights, justice, responsibility, and punishment.
1 classes found
Fall 2024
| Component | Credits | Class | Status | Time | Day | Facility | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEC | 3 | 10798 | Open | 3:00 p.m.–4:15 p.m. | TR | BH 346 | Baron M |
Regular Academic Session / In Person
LEC 10798: Total Seats: 35 / Available: 7 / Waitlisted: 0
Lecture (LEC)
- COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inq
- COLL (CASE) A&H Breadth of Inquiry credit
This course focuses on philosophical issues in criminal law, with some attention to other areas of law, as well. The readings include cases, discussions thereof, and articles by philosophers and legal scholars. Although we will learn something about the law, the real goals are to examine various philosophical issues in law, and to become familiar with key underlying principles in criminal law and subject some of them to scrutiny. Among the underlying principles we¿ll examine are (a) one should not be convicted of a crime without fair warning; (b) only voluntary acts are punishable; and especially (c) the accused must have a "guilty mind" (the mens rea or culpability requirement). We¿ll also be considering what (if anything) justifies the institution of punishment. Later in the term we¿ll look at the law of self-defense and its underlying doctrines. Although there is no official prerequisite, students who have taken it as a first philosophy class have urged me to advise students that it would be better to take an introductory philosophy course first.
The College of Arts