Concept
Law as integrity
Overview
In philosophy of law, law as integrity is a theory of law put forward by Ronald Dworkin in his book Law's Empire. "Dworkin's model of adjudication ... requires a court to interpret all legal material as part of a seamless, self-consistent unity". Law has integrity, according to Dworkin, when it is viewed not as a series of isolated statutes and cases, but when it is seen, as far as possible, as a "single, coherent scheme of principle". We should assume, Dworkin writes, that law "serves some interest or purpose or enforces some principle — in short, that it has some point — that can be stated independently of just describing the rules that make up the practice".
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
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However, practical rules of this kind are not called laws (like physical laws), but only precepts; because the will does not stand merely under the natural concept, but also under the concept of freedom, in relation to which its principles are called laws. These with their consequences alone constitute the second or practical part of Philosophy.
Immanuel Kant, Kant's Critique of Judgement
States what Law as integrity is.
There is therefore but one categorical imperative, namely this: Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal law. Now if all imperatives of duty can be deduced from this one imperative as from their principle, then, although it should remain undecided whether what is called duty is not merely a vain notion, yet at least we shall be able to show what we understand…
Michel de Montaigne, Literary and Philosophical Essays
States what Law as integrity is.
In this way a world of rational beings (mundus intelligibilis) is possible as a kingdom of ends, and this by virtue of the legislation proper to all persons as members. Therefore every rational being must so act as if he were by his maxims in every case a legislating member in the universal kingdom of ends. The formal principle of these maxims is: "So act as if thy maxim were to serve likewise as the universal law…
Immanuel Kant, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals
States what Law as integrity is.
Philosophers who discussed Law as integrity
Related ideas
Place in the tradition
Part of American philosophy.