Toleration of Evil and the Fragility of the Law

Jorge Sanchez-Perez

doi:10.18290/rf24723.12

Published : 2024-09-27

Vol. 72 No. 3 (2024)

Toleration of Evil and the Fragility of the Law

Jorge Sanchez-Perez

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7990-1191

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rf24723.12

Abstract

Given the reality of legal orders collapsing or breaking, this paper argues that a good explanation is needed to understand this phenomenon. It adopts a Hartian account of positivism and considers law as part of a larger set of social facts and orders. The paper analyzes the relationship between evil moral commitments and the law. It concludes by showing that it might be more conducive to analyzing the loss of faith in a legal system as an explanation for its collapse rather than thinking about problematic commitments to evil moral attitudes.

Keywords:

toleration, evil, law, positivism, Hart, Kelsen, rules-based international order

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