The language of law includes normative or prescriptive terms such as 'obligation' and 'permission'. How do we explain the meaning of prescriptive legal language? This has long been regarded as a problem for positivists, since at first glance their view suggests we can derive an ought – a legal obligation or right or permission – from descriptive social facts alone. This Element outlines what we should want from a semantics of prescriptive legal language, critically evaluates four leading semantic accounts, and argues that legal prescriptivity is not, in the end, a problem for positivists.
By:
Daniel Wodak (University of Pennsylvania) Imprint: Cambridge University Press Country of Publication: United Kingdom Weight: 275g ISBN:9781009711364 ISBN 10: 1009711369 Series:Elements in Philosophy of Law Pages: 75 Publication Date:11 December 2025 Audience:
General/trade
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ELT Advanced
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active