ABSTRACT
My approach to the philosophy of law is similar to that of most American (U.S.) philosophers. The philosophy of law, like many other branches of philosophy, is comprised of two sorts of issues, conceptual (analysis of legal concepts) and normative (matters of values and ideals). And Re most American legal philosophers, as I believe the case to be, I have not been concerned with whether, and how, the philosophy of law should be distinguished from jurisprudence, legal theory, and legal dogmatics (a term that is virtually unknown among American writers), which is a problem that Continental thinkers are so worried about. I have been, and I believe most American legal philosophers have been, governed more by the interest of a topic than by such systemic considerations. American legal philosophy, at least, may therefore seem somewhat parochial, driven, as it often is, by questions deriving from U.S. constitutional law and the common law.
