Jurisprudence

Journal overview

Aims and scope

Jurisprudence provides a forum for scholarly writing on the philosophy of law. While demanding the utmost intellectual honesty, clarity and scholarly rigour, its editorial policy is distinctively open-minded in relation to philosophical approach. A main purpose of the journal is to encourage scholarship which explores and transcends the categories and assumptions on which contemporary jurisprudential debates are conducted, and to stimulate reflection upon traditional questions concerning the nature of law, politics and society. The journal's unique reviews section will provide in-depth discussion and analysis of major developments in the field.

Jurisprudence aims:

to encourage research exploring the relation between questions in the philosophy of law and debates in related branches of philosophy, including but not limited to political philosophy, moral philosophy, the philosophy of religion and the philosophy of mind;
to support study of the intellectual history of the philosophy of law, both for its own sake and in order to shed light on contemporary jurisprudential questions;
to encourage careful research illuminating relations between jurisprudential questions and theoretical debates in anthropology, sociology, cultural and literary studies.

Replies and correspondence pieces will be generally discouraged, although may be acceptable if the intention is to deepen and extend an original line of thought, and not merely to reiterate or amplify an earlier argument.

"Jurisprudence not only goes deeply into legal questions, it explores these questions with genuine philosophical insight. This is precisely what the idea of jurisprudence requires."
Robert Alexy, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kielhristian

"...Jurisprudence has managed to attract first rate contributions on central questions in legal and political philosophy. The review symposia and original articles makes it required reading."
Arthur Ripstein, Professor of Law and Philosophy, Faculty of Law University of Toronto

"Jurisprudence has not only fulfilled its mission of recognizing that there are numerous facets and approaches to the jurisprudential project, but it has, from the beginning, attracted major figures producing genuinely new and important work. The journal is eclectic in the best sense of that term, and it is publishing high quality theoretical scholarship from a range of different perspectives." Frederick Schauer, David and Mary Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia

"A journal with real promise. If the first few issues are any indication, this journal has a bright future."
Dennis Patterson, European University Institute

"Forty years ago, the German journal Rechtstheorie got off to an unusually good start by publishing, inter alia, the work of mainstream philosophers on juridico-philosophical issues. Jurisprudence can boast of the same: To their everlasting credit, the editors, Sean Coyle and George Pavlakos, are publishing the work of mainstream philosophers, building closer ties between legal philosophy and philosophy writ large. In addition, the editors are orchestrating lively symposia and publishing reviews, thereby keeping their readers abreast of new developments. Jurisprudence, from the beginning, finds itself at the head of the class."
Stanley L. Paulson, formerly Professor of Philosophy and William Gardiner Hammond Professor of Law, Washington University in St. Louis, senior research fellow and sometime Mercator Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Kiel

Authors can choose to publish gold open access in this journal.

Read the Instructions for Authors for information on how to submit your article.

Read full aims and scope