Law in Perspective: Ethics, Critical Thinking and Research

The principal aim of this book is to encourage critical, responsible and creative thinking about law as a system of ideas and as a social institution. We aim also to encourage exploration of the interrelations between the methods, ideas and practices of law and those of other disciplines and institutions with which law continuously interacts. To this end, the text focuses upon a range of powerful critical thinking tools, in the forms of ideas and techniques drawn from logic, science, ethics and political and social theory. Effective application of these tools allows for an appreciation of law in its historical, philosophical, economic, political and social contexts, providing a foundation for critical assessment of the value and significance of legal principles and practices, and for principled proposals for future legal development and reform. In later chapters, we demonstrate these tools in action, developing critical analyses of the role of law in relation to a range of contemporary social issues, highlighting problems with existing legal interventions and exploring possible alternative approaches.