Debating Finnis on Petrażycki

In this book, John Finnis provides a virtually unparalleled, in-depth assessment of Leon Petrażycki’s work by a Western scholar. In the opening chapter, Finnis takes up the challenge of reading Petrażycki not simply as a historical curiosity of Eastern European jurisprudence but as a thinker whose wide-ranging and ambitious ideas continue to spark debate today. He critiques not only Petrażycki’s non-standard “economic analysis of law,” which differs markedly from the Chicago School model (not to mention from Guido Calabresi’s and Pietro Trimarchi’s versions), but also many other aspects of Petrażycki’s various contributions to jurisprudence. These include, above all, his legal-realistic but nonetheless appreciative treatment of the natural-law tradition(s), which makes Petrażycki both distinctive and difficult to classify in terms of standard schools of thought.

Finnis’ essay is followed by nine further contributions. Written by scholars from different traditions and standpoints, they criticize, reassess, and elaborate upon Finnis’ arguments, creating a rich and multi-voiced dialogue. The volume concludes with Finnis’ own, extensive “concluding reflections,” in which he directly responds to his fellow contributors, clarifying his original questions and replying to the challenges raised in their chapters.

This unique volume showcases Finnis’ insights, while enabling his interlocutors to highlight the depth and complexity of both Finnis’ and Petrażycki’s thought, as well as broader issues – more relevant now than ever – such as the differences between Catholic natural law, Orthodox natural law, and Petrażycki’s atheistic, humanistic, anti-speciesist ideal of substituting love for law and morality alike.