The Path of the Law.docx

The Path of the Law.docx

《The Path of the Law.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《The Path of the Law.docx（20页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

ThePathoftheLaw

ThePathoftheLaw

byOliverWendellHolmes,Jr.

10HarvardLawReview457（1897）

Whenwestudylawwearenotstudyingamysterybutawell-knownprofession.Wearestudyingwhatweshallwantinordertoappearbeforejudges,ortoadvisepeopleinsuchawayastokeepthemoutofcourt.Thereasonwhyitisaprofession,whypeoplewillpaylawyerstoargueforthemortoadvisethem,isthatinsocietieslikeoursthecommandofthepublicforceisintrustedtothejudgesincertaincases,andthewholepowerofthestatewillbeputforth,ifnecessary,tocarryouttheirjudgmentsanddecrees.Peoplewanttoknowunderwhatcircumstancesandhowfartheywillruntheriskofcomingagainstwhatissomuchstrongerthanthemselves,andhenceitbecomesabusinesstofindoutwhenthisdangeristobefeared.Theobjectofourstudy,then,isprediction,thepredictionoftheincidenceofthepublicforcethroughtheinstrumentalityofthecourts.

Themeansofthestudyareabodyofreports,oftreatises,andofstatutes,inthiscountryandinEngland,extendingbackforsixhundredyears,andnowincreasingannuallybyhundreds.Inthesesibyllineleavesaregatheredthescatteredpropheciesofthepastuponthecasesinwhichtheaxewillfall.Thesearewhatproperlyhavebeencalledtheoraclesofthelaw.Farthemostimportantandprettynearlythewholemeaningofeveryneweffortoflegalthoughtistomakethesepropheciesmoreprecise,andtogeneralizethemintoathoroughlyconnectedsystem.Theprocessisone,fromalawyer'sstatementofacase,eliminatingasitdoesallthedramaticelementswithwhichhisclient'sstoryhasclothedit,andretainingonlythefactsoflegalimport,uptothefinalanalysesandabstractuniversalsoftheoreticjurisprudence.Thereasonwhyalawyerdoesnotmentionthathisclientworeawhitehatwhenhemadeacontract,whileMrs.Quicklywouldbesuretodwelluponitalongwiththeparcelgiltgobletandthesea-coalfire,isthatheforeseesthatthepublicforcewillactinthesamewaywhateverhisclienthaduponhishead.Itistomaketheprophecieseasiertoberememberedandtobeunderstoodthattheteachingsofthedecisionsofthepastareputintogeneralpropositionsandgatheredintotextbooks,orthatstatutesarepassedinageneralform.Theprimaryrightsanddutieswithwhichjurisprudencebusiesitselfagainarenothingbutprophecies.Oneofthemanyevileffectsoftheconfusionbetweenlegalandmoralideas,aboutwhichIshallhavesomethingtosayinamoment,isthattheoryisapttogetthecartbeforethehorse,andconsidertherightorthedutyassomethingexistingapartfromandindependentoftheconsequencesofitsbreach,towhichcertainsanctionsareaddedafterward.But,asIshalltrytoshow,alegaldutysocalledisnothingbutapredictionthatifamandoesoromitscertainthingshewillbemadetosufferinthisorthatwaybyjudgmentofthecourt;andsoofalegalright.

Thenumberofourpredictionswhengeneralizedandreducedtoasystemisnotunmanageablylarge.Theypresentthemselvesasafinitebodyofdogmawhichmaybemasteredwithinareasonabletime.Itisagreatmistaketobefrightenedbytheever-increasingnumberofreports.Thereportsofagivenjurisdictioninthecourseofagenerationtakeupprettymuchthewholebodyofthelaw,andrestateitfromthepresentpointofview.Wecouldreconstructthecorpusfromthemifallthatwentbeforewereburned.Theuseoftheearlierreportsismainlyhistorical,auseaboutwhichIshallhavesomethingtosaybeforeIhavefinished.

Iwish,ifIcan,tolaydownsomefirstprinciplesforthestudyofthisbodyofdogmaorsystematizedpredictionwhichwecallthelaw,formenwhowanttouseitastheinstrumentoftheirbusinesstoenablethemtoprophesyintheirturn,and,asbearinguponthestudy,Iwishtopointoutanidealwhichasyetourlawhasnotattained.

Thefirstthingforabusinesslikeunderstandingofthematteristounderstanditslimits,andthereforeIthinkitdesirableatoncetopointoutanddispelaconfusionbetweenmoralityandlaw,whichsometimesrisestotheheightofconscioustheory,andmoreoftenandindeedconstantlyismakingtroubleindetailwithoutreachingthepointofconsciousness.Youcanseeveryplainlythatabadmanhasasmuchreasonasagoodoneforwishingtoavoidanencounterwiththepublicforce,andthereforeyoucanseethepracticalimportanceofthedistinctionbetweenmoralityandlaw.Amanwhocaresnothingforanethicalrulewhichisbelievedandpractisedbyhisneighborsislikelyneverthelesstocareagooddealtoavoidbeingmadetopaymoney,andwillwanttokeepoutofjailifhecan.

ItakeitforgrantedthatnohearerofminewillmisinterpretwhatIhavetosayasthelanguageofcynicism.Thelawisthewitnessandexternaldepositofourmorallife.Itshistoryisthehistoryofthemoraldevelopmentoftherace.Thepracticeofit,inspiteofpopularjests,tendstomakegoodcitizensandgoodmen.WhenIemphasizethedifferencebetweenlawandmoralsIdosowithreferencetoasingleend,thatoflearningandunderstandingthelaw.Forthatpurposeyoumustdefinitelymasteritsspecificmarks,anditisforthatthatIaskyouforthemomenttoimagineyourselvesindifferenttootherandgreaterthings.

Idonotsaythatthereisnotawiderpointofviewfromwhichthedistinctionbetweenlawandmoralsbecomesofsecondaryornoimportance,asallmathematicaldistinctionsvanishinpresenceoftheinfinite.ButIdosaythatthatdistinctionisofthefirstimportancefortheobjectwhichweareheretoconsider—arightstudyandmasteryofthelawasabusinesswithwellunderstoodlimits,abodyofdogmaenclosedwithindefinitelines.Ihavejustshownthepracticalreasonforsayingso.Ifyouwanttoknowthelawandnothingelse,youmustlookatitasabadman,whocaresonlyforthematerialconsequenceswhichsuchknowledgeenableshimtopredict,notasagoodone,whofindshisreasonsforconduct,whetherinsidethelaworoutsideofit,inthevaguersanctionsofconscience.Thetheoreticalimportanceofthedistinctionisnoless,ifyouwouldreasononyoursubjectaright.Thelawisfullofphraseologydrawnfrommorals,andbythemereforceoflanguagecontinuallyinvitesustopassfromonedomaintotheotherwithoutperceivingit,aswearesuretodounlesswehavetheboundaryconstantlybeforeourminds.Thelawtalksaboutrights,andduties,andmalice,andintent,andnegligence,andsoforth,andnothingiseasier,or,Imaysay,morecommoninlegalreasoning,thantotakethesewordsintheirmoralsense,atsomestateoftheargument,andsotodropintofallacy.Forinstance,whenwespeakoftherightsofmaninamoralsense,wemeantomarkthelimitsofinterferencewithindividualfreedomwhichwethinkareprescribedbyconscience,orbyourideal,howeverreached.Yetitiscertainthatmanylawshavebeenenforcedinthepast,anditislikelythatsomeareenforcednow,whicharecondemnedbythemostenlightenedopinionofthetime,orwhichatalleventspassthelimitofinterference,asmanyconscienceswoulddrawit.Manifestly,therefore,nothingbutconfusionofthoughtcanresultfromassumingthattherightsofmaninamoralsenseareequallyrightsinthesenseoftheConstitutionandthelaw.Nodoubtsimpleandextremecasescanbeputofimaginablelawswhichthestatute-makingpowerwouldnotdaretoenact,evenintheabsenceofwrittenconstitutionalprohibitions,becausethecommunitywouldriseinrebellionandfight;andthisgivessomeplausibilitytothepropositionthatthelaw,ifnotapartofmorality,islimitedbyit.Butthislimitofpowerisnotcoextensivewithanysystemofmorals.Forthemostpartitfallsfarwithinthelinesofanysuchsystem,andinsomecasesmayextendbeyondthem,forreasonsdrawnfromthehabitsofaparticularpeopleataparticulartime.IonceheardthelateProfessorAgassizsaythataGermanpopulationwouldriseifyouaddedtwocentstothepriceofaglassofbeer.Astatuteinsuchacasewouldbeemptywords,notbecauseitwaswrong,butbecauseitcouldnotbeenforced.Noonewilldenythatwrongstatutescanbeandareenforced,andwewouldnotallagreeastowhichwerethewrongones.

TheconfusionwithwhichIamdealingbesetsconfessedlylegalconceptions.Takethefundamentalquestion,Whatconstitutesthelaw?

YouwillfindsometextwriterstellingyouthatitissomethingdifferentfromwhatisdecidedbythecourtsofMassachusettsorEngland,thatitisasystemofreason,thatitisadeductionfromprinciplesofethicsoradmittedaxiomsorwhatnot,whichmayormaynotcoincidewiththedecisions.Butifwetaketheviewofourfriendthebadmanweshallfindthathedoesnotcaretwostrawsfortheaxiomsordeductions,butthathedoeswanttoknowwhattheMassachusettsorEnglishcourtsarelikelytodoinfact.Iammuchofthismind.Thepropheciesofwhatthecourtswilldoinfact,andnothingmorepretentious,arewhatImeanbythelaw.

Takeagainanotionwhichaspopularlyunderstoodisthewidestconceptionwhichthelawcontains—thenotionoflegalduty,towhichalreadyIhavereferred.Wefillthewordwithallthecontentwhichwedrawfrommorals.Butwhatdoesitmeantoabadman?

Mainly,andinthefirstplace,aprophecythatifhedoescertainthingshewillbesubjectedtodisagreeableconsequencesbywayofimprisonmentorcompulsorypaymentofmoney.Butfromhispointofview,whatisthedifferencebetweenbeingfinedandtaxedacertainsumfordoingacertainthing?

Thathispointofviewisthetestoflegalprinciplesisprovenbythemanydiscussi