Joseph Raz has been dedicated to using the philosophies of mind and of action to explain the nature of normativity. By the same token, his research on jurisprudence and the nature of law has been rooted in his use of the context of the philosophy of practical reason to explain the normativity of law, namely,the relation between law and morality. Our understanding of the Razian philosophy of law thus cannot be divorced from his research on moral and political philosophies. Our dialogue with Joseph Raz will hopefully elucidate our understanding of such issues as the matrix of moral-legal philosophies, the debate on inclusive vs. exclusive legal positivism, the justification of authority, the methodology of formulating legal theories, the nature of reasons for action, autonomy and perfectionism.
拉兹致力于探讨一种成功的法律理论意味着什么。首先,法理论(a theory of law)在这里是在狭义上使用的,仅指向关于法律性质的一种解释或说明(an explanation or an account),在形式上是要提出关于法律性质的一系列真命题(true propositions)。其次,一种成功的法律理论要符合两个标准:'第一,它由关于法律的必然为真的命题组成;第二,这些命题解释了法律是什么。'[1]概括来讲就是,一种成功的法理论提出了能够解释法律是什么的必然为真的一系列命题。