ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that legal philosophy most significant contribution is to cast new light on questions about the nature and sources of law's authority. It examines the character of 'the social'; that is, the social settings of law that give it meaning, define its practical jurisdiction and ground its legitimacy. The chapter suggests that the question of the social is complex for legal theory, and central to it, but that it has often been avoided, or considered impressionistically, rather than systematically and empirically. It claims that the question "How can sociology help to reformulate central issues in theoretical studies of the nature of law?" relates to others about law's systematic character, authority and sources. Legal philosophy and legal sociology are co-workers in a common enterprise of legal explanation. A theory of legal pluralism might lead to a position in which any sharp line between state and society, or between the public and the private, becomes problematic.
