Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1978
Keywords
Lon L. Fuller, Pragmatic instrumentalism, Law and social science, Morality of Law
Disciplines
Jurisprudence | Legal History
Abstract
The late Lon L. Fuller played an influential role in the development of American jurisprudence, but his views have not always prevailed. In this tribute to the memory of Professor Fuller, Professor Summers outlines the major tenets of what he perceives to be our dominant philosophy of law – “pragmatic instrumentalism” – by way of contrasting that philosophy with the views of Professor Fuller. Professor Summers concludes that these two philosophies differ in many important respects and that our dominant philosophy of law should accommodate, and may indeed already be in the process of accommodating, the thought of Professor Fuller.
Recommended Citation
Summers, Robert S., "Professor Fuller's Jurisprudence and America's Dominant Philosophy of Law" (1978). Cornell Law Faculty Publications. 1351.
https://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/facpub/1351
Publication Citation
Published in: Harvard Law Review, vol. 92, no. 2 (December 1978).