登陆注册
5451600000001

第1章

When we study law we are not studying a mystery but a well-known profession.We are studying what we shall want in order to appear before judges, or to advise people in such a way as to keep them out of court.The reason why it is a profession, why people will pay lawyers to argue for them or to advise them, is that in societies like ours the command of the public force is intrusted to the judges in certain cases, and the whole power of the state will be put forth, if necessary, to carry out their judgments and decrees.People want to know under what circumstances and how far they will run the risk of coming against what is so much stronger than themselves, and hence it becomes a business to find out when this danger is to be feared.The object of our study, then, is prediction, the prediction of the incidence of the public force through the instrumentality of the courts.

The means of the study are a body of reports, of treatises, and of statutes, in this country and in England, extending back for six hundred years, and now increasing annually by hundreds.In these sibylline leaves are gathered the scattered prophecies of the past upon the cases in which the axe will fall.These are what properly have been called the oracles of the law.Far the most important and pretty nearly the whole meaning of every new effort of legal thought is to make these prophecies more precise, and to generalize them into a thoroughly connected system.The process is one, from a lawyer's statement of a case, eliminating as it does all the dramatic elements with which his client's story has clothed it, and retaining only the facts of legal import, up to the final analyses and abstract universals of theoretic jurisprudence.The reason why a lawyer does not mention that his client wore a white hat when he made a contract, while Mrs.Quickly would be sure to dwell upon it along with the parcel gilt goblet and the sea-coal fire, is that he foresees that the public force will act in the same way whatever his client had upon his head.It is to make the prophecies easier to be remembered and to be understood that the teachings of the decisions of the past are put into general propositions and gathered into textbooks, or that statutes are passed in a general form.The primary rights and duties with which jurisprudence busies itself again are nothing but prophecies.One of the many evil effects of the confusion between legal and moral ideas, about which I shall have something to say in a moment, is that theory is apt to get the cart before the horse, and consider the right or the duty as something existing apart from and independent of the consequences of its breach, to which certain sanctions are added afterward.But, as I shall try to show, a legal duty so called is nothing but a prediction that if a man does or omits certain things he will be made to suffer in this or that way by judgment of the court; and so of a legal right.

The number of our predictions when generalized and reduced to a system is not unmanageably large.They present themselves as a finite body of dogma which may be mastered within a reasonable time.It is a great mistake to be frightened by the ever-increasing number of reports.The reports of a given jurisdiction in the course of a generation take up pretty much the whole body of the law, and restate it from the present point of view.We could reconstruct the corpus from them if all that went before were burned.The use of the earlier reports is mainly historical, a use about which I shall have something to say before Ihave finished.

I wish, if I can, to lay down some first principles for the study of this body of dogma or systematized prediction which we call the law, for men who want to use it as the instrument of their business to enable them to prophesy in their turn, and, as bearing upon the study, I wish to point out an ideal which as yet our law has not attained.

The first thing for a businesslike understanding of the matter is to understand its limits, and therefore I think it desirable at once to point out and dispel a confusion between morality and law, which sometimes rises to the height of conscious theory, and more often and indeed constantly is making trouble in detail without reaching the point of consciousness.You can see very plainly that a bad man has as much reason as a good one for wishing to avoid an encounter with the public force, and therefore you can see the practical importance of the distinction between morality and law.A man who cares nothing for an ethical rule which is believed and practised by his neighbors is likely nevertheless to care a good deal to avoid being made to pay money, and will want to keep out of jail if he can.

I take it for granted that no hearer of mine will misinterpret what Ihave to say as the language of cynicism.The law is the witness and external deposit of our moral life.Its history is the history of the moral development of the race.The practice of it, in spite of popular jests, tends to make good citizens and good men.When I emphasize the difference between law and morals I do so with reference to a single end, that of learning and understanding the law.For that purpose you must definitely master its specific marks, and it is for that that I ask you for the moment to imagine yourselves indifferent to other and greater things.

同类推荐
  • 太上瑶台益算宝籍延年忏

    太上瑶台益算宝籍延年忏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 密咒圆因往生

    密咒圆因往生

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 东山杂记

    东山杂记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 冰揭罗天童子经

    冰揭罗天童子经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 陕州河亭陪韦五大夫

    陕州河亭陪韦五大夫

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 中医儿科处方手册

    中医儿科处方手册

    《中医儿科处方手册》以实用为原则,缩减理论阐述,力求简明扼要,对指导临床有实际意义。全书共10章,选择中医药有一定优势特色的病证88个。在病证下立法处方,以病统方,方证相对。每一种疾病均按照诊断要点、辨治原则、处方、警示四项编写。诊断要点一般按病史、临床表现、实验室检查三段式编写,以求精简易掌握。在处方中大多数是辨证用药,也有少数是辨病用药,力求临证用之有效。儿科处方用药剂量应根据小儿年龄、体重、疾病轻重缓急、药物多少及配伍而定,《中医儿科处方手册》除新生儿疾病外,一般中药汤剂处方用量,适用于4~7岁儿童;中成药剂量仅供参考,临床选用时以其药物说明书为准。
  • 一品盲妃

    一品盲妃

    ◆当武学废物变身京城制毒高手,当草包疯女变身睿智机敏五小姐,十四岁身体拥有二十七岁成熟心智,看她是如何执掌权势,颠覆整个江山!◆柳香,武术之家柳家庶出五小姐,虽然样貌出众却是一个草包废物。与乞丐打架斗殴,与流浪狗夺食,当街脱衣,行径疯癫令人费解。曾与经济之家上官家有婚媒之约,却在大婚当日被夫君拔衣示众,扔进湖里淹死。这廉价的生命!◆好友背叛、未婚夫算计,刚毅正直的她被炸死房内。一觉醒来,原本的BS专家竟成了人人唾弃的废物文盲小姐。一枚神秘饰物、一个神秘身份,牵连着无数秘密。所有一切她都不想计较,却想那些阴谋与暗杀并未因她的沉默而停止。某人怒了!以计谋,把上官家族逼得破产。打皇子、制炸弹,成为炙手可热的军事家。◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆淡定、从容,是她都懒得动脑。自由、安静,是她追求的目标。没事恶搞一下,放松放松,只是若非要影响她的心情,那就另当别论了。【片段一】“你这个废物,竟然还没死?”男子拥着一旁的美女,厌恶地看向她。女子不急不慢,嘴角轻扬,大气却又冷漠道。“因为,我得亲眼见证废物都不如的上官公子,如何死!”【片段二】衣冠楚楚,他轻佻地抬起她的下巴。“难道你不打算物归原主?”她轻轻扬唇,让人看不透,暧昧地贴近他的唇,轻语。“价高者得!”他笑,一辈子到现在,终于知道自己要什么了!【片段三】长发在风中不羁地舞蹈,女子如同不食人间烟火的精灵,伸出指尖朝他勾了勾,然后吻上他的唇。忽而,他尝到了苦涩,那是一种毒!她居然用这样的方式来报复他?不管她如何,她今生都只能是他夜凝痕的女人!【女主非善类,文斗智斗勇,江湖宫廷,艳福多,YY多,结局1V1。】男主神秘潜伏中...注:坑中一片和谐,接受善意建议,请体谅作者的每一滴汗水。如果有不喜欢的亲,可以将小佳拉进黑名单,若对文不满大可以点击“XX”后,诅咒小佳数百遍,都怪爹妈那时候穷,没让我喝纯牛奶,导致现在的能力有限。请各位不要介怀,不要说影响彼此心情的言论。但本人可以肯定,偶对文文的无限热爱与忠诚。和朋友们建的群:1群:153626181(已满)2群:78658414(将满)(VIP群):94693593注:此群只加VIP读者,1群的VIP读者也可以退1群认证进这个群!!敲门砖为——小佳、无知小佳!强烈推荐:《殿下的禁忌》小佳的
  • 冒牌太子妃.A

    冒牌太子妃.A

    什么什么?我穿越了?那么这些野猪是什么?天啦,只要我赢了它们,我就可以活下来,并且可以身价百倍,被有钱的人买去。啊啊啊啊,不是吧,太师要买我?呼还好,只是买去当女儿,啊,皇后的儿子看上我了?不是吧!他是个傻子?神哇,主哇,观音菩萨哇,这到底怎么回事哇?一个傻里傻气却很痴情的王爷,另一个玉树临风劫穷济贫的大侠!我的心有点摇摆不定啦!嫁给王爷也不错,有吃又有喝,而且他又那么傻,欺负他的时候,不会有人知道的!嫁给大侠也不错,一起浪迹江湖,做一对快乐的神仙侠侣。可是……
  • 崩坏的无限世界

    崩坏的无限世界

    世间是一个大苦海,无数生灵轮回其中。只会浑浑噩噩操劳,只知恍恍惚惚生活。在爱恨情仇中迷失,在生老病死中沉沦。既不知生命的真谛,更不明世界的真相。……他知道,他的功力,终于百尺竿头,更进一步,进入到了另一片天地——
  • 公主,微臣有疾

    公主,微臣有疾

    听说某只得了重病卧床不起,连日来都在府外义诊的冉姒心急如焚匆匆回府,推门而入却见他神采奕奕,丝毫不见病态。“你不是差人来报说得了重病,已经连床都起不来了吗?”语气不善。“是病了,还是重病。微臣有疾,名曰相思,已入骨髓,请公主赐药。”一个腹黑深情世子的漫漫追妻路。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 可能送了个假快递

    可能送了个假快递

    “我以为是我的微信变异了,开始给我创造奇迹了。”“可谁知我是被奴役了,开始赶往各大世界送快递了。”“然后,当我发现自己无形间拯救了世界之后,谦虚之下我只能告诉他们我叫王奕了。”
  • 极地天使

    极地天使

    在世界反法西斯战争胜利70周年之际,《极地天使》以侨民集中营为题材,书写了一部中国人用无私大爱拯救外国侨民的故事。谨以此正义战胜邪恶、人性对抗兽性,超越种族、肤色、国家、语言、文化差异的《同盟国进行曲》,献给二十一个同盟国反法西斯战士与人民。苗雨欣老人作为潍县集中营的幸存者,收到了一封来自中国山东省潍坊市召开世界反法西斯战争胜利六十周年纪念大会的邀请信,这封信的到来让她百感交集。
  • 神魔茧

    神魔茧

    想请求神帝,打开轮回之井,这可是神界唯一的战神。一旦踏入轮回之井,将再无回头之路,即便要经历世间轮回之苦、即使会互相忘记,但是不会后悔,因为我们相互信任。
  • 旷世公子

    旷世公子

    九大圣师,十位上将,秉持大朝国运。神游太虚,推演万物,传道隐世仙宗。厄难重重,暗流汹涌,危机从来不断,热血洒落一地,但唯有修行...不退一步。“何谓公子?”“公子便如那灼热的红日,永不熄灭,当空耀世。”【每日五更,没有上限!】
  • 影后你马甲掉了

    影后你马甲掉了

    [已完结]猫族大祭司的女儿夜离音是猫族青年心中的女神,颜值妖力都是同龄翘楚。大祭司历劫之时,被暗害意外到了人界。夜离音想,她真的不是故意掉影帝大人浴缸的,只是听说他家的饼干好吃,所以她过来闻闻味道…被撩的某影帝声音沙哑:“小猫,你的尾巴能不能别乱动。”夜离音傲娇的仰头摇动着尾巴,哼,本喵大人是你可以命令的吗!于是,她光荣的让影帝大人成为她的铲屎官。粉丝发现,只转电影宣传片的男神,化身宠猫狂魔天天晒猫了,这只异瞳猫还漂亮至极,圈粉无数。后来影帝大人的粉丝越来越多,大多是为了猫而来。直到有一天影帝大人晒了跟新晋影后的结婚证,粉丝们后知后觉的发现,影后也有一双异瞳…【甜宠,身心干净1V1!】