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You Might be an Anarchist if …

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  • Kenneth M Ehrenberg

Abstract

I show that conceptual philosophical anarchism, the claim that law cannot give reasons for action, is entailed by several popular theories about law. Reductionists about practical authority believe that all supposedly legitimate practical authority reduces to forms of theoretical authority. They tend to embrace anarchism, but some readers might not be clear why. Trigger theorists about reason-giving believe that all reason-giving merely activates pre-existing conditional reasons. Natural lawyers hold that all legal reasons are sourced in the natural law, which entails that positive law cannot provide reasons for action. If you are attracted to any of these theories and still think that positive law creates new practical reasons, you might have to give up one or the other position. If anarchism is entailed by believing the normativity in law’s directives pre-dates the directive, only a few may be able to avoid it, Hans Kelsen, Mark Greenberg, and Joseph Raz being the most likely.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth M Ehrenberg, 2024. "You Might be an Anarchist if …," Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 44(2), pages 434-460.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:oxjlsj:v:44:y:2024:i:2:p:434-460.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ojls/gqad027
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