The Moral Limits of Law

Ruth C. A. Higgins graduated with first class honours in law from Glasgow University in 1995, as joint winner of the Dr John MacCormick Prize for the Most Distinguished Graduate in Law and winner of the Bennet Miller Prize for Private Law. Between 1996 and 2000, she undertook her DPhil at Balliol College, Oxford, on a Snell Scholarship. During this time she held a lectureship in law at Corpus Christi College and spent time as a visiting scholar at Columbia University, New York. She currently works in the Competition & Regulation department of the Sydney law firm Gilbert + Tobin.

• PREFACE ; 1. The Problem of Conscientious Obedience ; 2. Respect for Persons and Law ; 3. Consent, Residence, and the Democratic Voice ; 4. Community, Identity, and Joint Commitment ; 5. The Burdens of Benefit ; 6. Benevolence and Gratitude ; 7. The Implications of Respect ; BIBLIOGRAPHY ; INDEX

There is much of value in this volume for the philosopher trying to understand the nature of the obligation to obey the law within the modern polity. The extended discussions of theorists such as Dworkin, Green, Soper and Rawls in the later chapters are insightful and useful. Higgins manages to produce a fascinating and provoking account of obedience...