H. L. A. Hart Quotes

United Kingdom, Philosopher
July 18, 1907 – December, 19, 1992.

Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart, usually cited as H. L. A. Hart, was a British legal philosopher, and a major figure in political and legal philosophy. He was Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University and the Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford. His most famous work is The Concept of Law (1961; 3rd edition, 2012), which has been hailed as "the most important work of legal philosophy written in the twentieth century". He is considered one of the world's foremost legal philosophers in the twentieth century, alongside Hans Kelsen.

Also known as Politician

So long as human beings can gain sufficient co-operation from some to enable them to dominate others, they will use the forms of law as one of their instruments. Wicked men will enact wicked rules which others will enforce. What surely is most needed in order to make men clear sighted in confronting the official abuse of power, is that they should preserve the sense that the certification of something as legally valid is not conclusive of the question of obedience, and that, however great the aura of majesty or authority which the official system may have, its demands must in the end be submitted to a moral scrutiny.

H. L. A. Hart
- Human
- Cooperation
- Gain
Surely if we have learned anything from the history of morals it is that the thing to do with a moral quandary is not to hide it.

H. L. A. Hart
- History
- Moral

Dworkin, for example, argues that our law includes not only norms found in treaties, customs, constitutions, statutes, and cases, but also moral principles that provide the best justification for the norms found there. On his account the things justified by moral.

H. L. A. Hart
- Law
- Moral
- Principles