Deontic Logic and Legal Systems

A considerable number of books and papers have analyzed normative concepts using new techniques developed by logicians; however, few have bridged the gap between the English legal culture and the Continental (i.e. European and Latin American) tradition in legal philosophy. This book addresses this issue by offering an introductory study on the many possibilities that logical analysis offers the study of legal systems. The volume is divided into two sections: the first covers the basic aspects of classical and deontic logic and its connections, advancing an explanation of the most important topics of the discipline by comparing different systems of deontic logic and exploring some of the most important paradoxes in its domain. The second section deals with the role of logic in the analysis of legal systems by discussing in what sense deontic logic and the logic of norm-propositions are useful tools for a proper understanding of the systematic structure of law.

• Offers an introduction to basic moral and legal issues, such as the nature of norms, the validity of normative arguments, the justification of judicial decisions, and so on
• Offers a new perspective on one of the most controversial topics in legal philosophy, the systematic nature of law
• An introduction to formal aspects of normative discourse which requires no special preparation or skills in order to understand the main arguments