Legal Theory and the Natural Sciences

The relationship between law and science has developed apace over the last three decades. This collection brings together the most important and influential papers theorising that relationship, including papers that seek to protect law’s autonomy against the perceived unwelcome inroads of science, and those that seek to shape and change law by incorporating the latest scientific developments. The papers span historical overviews of the attempts by legal scholars to model legal science on scientific methodology, to efforts by legal philosophers scrutinising the claims made on behalf of genetics and neuroscience as to their implications for law and legal concepts. The volume also includes a section on the famous debate within American case law over what constitutes good science. The volume contains a substantive introduction and detailed bibliography.