The central question in legal philosophy is the relationship between law and morality. The legal systems of many countries around the world have been influenced by the principles of the Enlightenment: freedom, equality and fraternity. The position is similar in relation to the accompanying state ideal of the democratic constitutional state as well as the notion of a welfare state. The foundation of these principles lies in the ideal of individual autonomy. The law must in this view guarantee a social order which secures the equal freedom of all. This freedom is moreover fundamental because in modern pluralistic societies a great diversity of views exist concerning the appropriate way of life. This freedom ideal is however also strongly contested. In Law, Order and Freedom, a historical overview is given pertaining to the question of the extent to which the modern Enlightenment values can serve as the universal foundation of law and society.

InhaltsangabeChapter 1 Legal Philosophy: The Most Important Controversies; Maris.- Chapter 2 Antiquity and the Middle Ages; Van der Vliet (2.1-2.4, with contributions by Maris), Jacobs (2.5-2.8, with contributions by Van der Vliet).- Chapter 3 The Commencement of the Modern Age; Den Hartogh, with an introduction by Maris.- Chapter 4 Hobbes, Locke and Spinoza; Den Hartogh (4.1, 4.2, 4.4), Jacobs (4.3).- Chapter 5 Eighteenth-Century French Enlightenment; Kaptein (5.1-5.7; 5.6 partly by Maris).- Chapter 6 The Synthesis of Kant; Maris (6.1, 6.2, 6.5), Jacobs (6.3, 6.4.3, 6.6), Van der Vliet (6.4.1, 6.4.2).- Chapter 7 Nineteenth Century; Maris (7.1, 7.4.1-7.4.5, 7.4.7, 7.5), Jacobs (7.2, 7.4.6), Van Erp (7.3).- Chapter 8 Twentieth Century; 1900-1945: Maris (8.1, 8.3-8.5), De Ville (8.2).- Chapter 9 Twentieth Century; 1945-2000; Maris (9.1-9.4), De Ville (9.5).- Chapter 10 Conclusion: Law, Order and Freedom; Jacobs (10.1-10.5, 10.9-10.10, with contributions by Maris), Maris (10.6-10.8).- Bibliography.- Index of Names.