Remembering
Dworkin
Spencer Turner examines
the life, career and influences of
this celebrated philosopher.
R
onald Dworkin passed away on February
14, 2013 at the age of 81. Throughout his
life, Dworkin took on roles at Oxford, New
York University, Yale Law School and University College London. His outstanding academic
work left him regarded as one of the most influential, important, and insightful philosophers of
law in the 20th and 21st centuries. Throughout
his career, Dworkin’s work focused heavily on
topical issues and developed influence pertaining to race, religion, and equality that were presented with greater accessibility than those who
had come before him. To Dworkin’s biggest
supporters he is widely regarded as a stalwart
influencer who stood for freedom and fairness
through his liberal philosophy.
Dworkin lived an enviously brilliant life
which saw him first study philosophy at Harvard University and then law at Oxford as a
Rhodes Scholar, where he graduated with a first
and thoroughly impressed HLA Hart with his
final examination paper. Dworkin’s work is often considered a reaction to that of Hart’s. In
his 1977 book, ‘Taking Rights Seriously,’ Dworkin described Hart’s philosophy as “normatively
inert.” Despite this, Dworkin would go on to
succeed Hart as Professor of Jurisprudence at
Oxford upon Hart’s recommendation. He held
the position from 1969 until 1998, where Dworkin then took on the role of Jeremy Bentham
as Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London.
His legal career began in 1957 in the US as
a clerk for Judge Learned Hand, who at the time
was one of the most prominent and famous
judges who was not sitting on the Supreme
Court. As with Hart, Dworkin had intellectual conflicts with Learned Hand, most notably
over the Brown v School Board case of 1954.
Nonetheless, Dworkin’s academic prowess and
fortitude in challenging his ‘superiors’ made him
stand out amongst his contemporaries. Dworkin
then went on to work for Sullivan & Cromwell,
which saw him turn down the opportunity to
clerk for Justice Felix Frankfurter.
His career saw him write a host of influential works including ‘Taking Rights Seriously’ (1977), ‘A Matter of Principle’ (1985), and
perhaps his most famous piece ‘Law’s Empire’
(1986) in which Dworkin developed the theo- European Council on Foreign Relations thinkry of ‘Law as integrity.’ He therein argues that tank, whilst the other works as an award-winjudges should decide cases on the basis of creat- ning filmmaker and producer. During his life,
ing a ‘single moral vision’ which is accessible to Dworkin shared his time between Belgravia,
lay persons. Dworkin went
New York, and Massachu“The breadth and
on to tackle the pro-life
setts. In his later years he
debate in Life’s Dominion
went on to write ‘Justice
profundity of his
(1993) and equality as the
in Robes’ (2006) and ‘Jusforemost issue in Sovereign writing established him tice for Hedgehogs’ (2011),
Virtue (2000). It is impossias one of the foremost which is an extended esble to sum up the entirety
the relationship
legal philosophers of say aboutmorality and law.
of Dworkin’s work in one
between
our time.”
short article. However, it
Dworkin’s influence on law
can be said that the breadth
is, and will continue to be,
and profundity of his writing established him as far reaching thanks to his academic work, and
one of the foremost legal philosophers of our work at various universities around the world.
time.
In his private life Dworkin was married to Spencer is a first-year LLB student. He is a features
Betsy Ross, whom he had met in New York, for reporter for Epigram and took part in this year’s
42 years until her death in 2000. Together they Herbert Smith Freehills mooting and Hunt Cup dehad two children, one of whom works at the bating competitions.
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