Promoting the rule of rationality over positive law and legal thinking

Abstract

The paper makes the following claims. First, the most important problem for contemporary legal philosophy is contrasting the morally disgusting state of the world. Second, qua jurisprudents, the problem must be dealt with indirectly. Third, the indirect way of dealing with the problem requires pursuing the goal of promoting the rule of reason, the dominance of rationality, over law and legal thinking. Fourth, such an overall goal is to be pursued by breaking it down into five more specific goals: namely, promoting the epistemic, methodological, conceptual, instrumental, and substantive rationality of law and/or legal thinking. Fifth, pretentious and idle ways of doing jurisprudence must be put aside.