Why Does Law Matter?: A philosophical exploration of a Talmudic dictum highlights the intrinsic value of law
"He who has been commanded and fulfills the command," the Talmud says, "is greater than he who fulfills though not commanded." This suggests that laws are valuable not only because they ensure proper behavior, but because the binding nature of these duties embodies something of intrinsic value, beyond utilitarianism
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| Topics: | Law; Jurisprudence |
Alon Harel holds the Phillip P. Mizock & Estelle Mizock Chair in Administrative and Criminal Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been a visiting professor at Columbia University, Harvard University, the University of Toronto, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Chicago.
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