Jurisprudence is aimed at students new to the study of legal philosophy, also offering new ideas and perspectives that will be of interest to established scholars. Bix seeks to explain the often complex and difficult ideas in Jurisprudence clearly, but in a way that avoids distortion of the ideas through over-simplification. As well as introducing the reader to the fundamental themes in legal philosophy, it also describes and comments critically on the writing of the foremost legal theorists.

The new edition has been extensively revised, taking into account the most recent scholarly work, and elaborating on many of the key ideas and arguments. The Fourth Edition includes two new chapters covering the philosophical foundations of the common law, and a variety of historical or less mainstream approaches to legal theory.

“For clarity, fair-mindedness, and engaging treatment of the diverse strands of contemporary legal theory, there is no better guide. . . . This book covers more ground with good sense than many other works do with many more pages.” -Martha Minow, Harvard Law School

“For an overview of jurisprudence that is insightful as well as clear, critical but also generous in its assessments, one can’t do better than this book.” -Robert W. Gordon, Yale Law School