Problematics of Moral and Legal Theory

Richard A. Posner retired as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2017. He was previously a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School.

• * Part 1: The Wrong Turn *1. Moral Theory * Introduction: From Moral Realism to Pragmatic Moral Skepticism * Understanding Morality * The Academic Moralist and the Moral Entrepreneur * Professionalism's Cold Grip *2. Legal Theory, Moral Themes * Jurisprudence and Moral Theory * Moral Theory Applied Directly to Law * Some Famous "Moral" Cases * Constitutional Theory * Part 2: The Way Out *3. Professionalism * The Two Professionalisms * The Supersession Thesis *4. Pragmatism * The Pragmatic Approach to Law * Postmodernism Distinguished * Some Institutional Implications of Legal Pragmatism * Index

Posner believes that most moral understanding is acquired in childhood and largely controlled by parental example, peer pressure, and religion. Once acquired, moral beliefs and commitments can only be changed through "appeals to self-interest and emotional appeals that bypass our rational calculating faculty"...As usual with Posner, the writing is clear, the footnotes abundant and highly informative, and the index excellent. Highest recommendation for all collections.