Joel Feinberg for Neophytes

Abstract

Joel Feinberg (1926-2004) was a major figure in 20th-century philosophy. He made signal contributions to two distinct disciplines: normative jurisprudence (i.e., positive law as it ought to be) and descriptive or analytic ethics (i.e., positive morality as it is). The aim of this essay is to introduce Feinberg to a new generation of scholars, some of whom may be unfamiliar with his work, but all of whom—whether in law, social science, or the humanities—stand to benefit from it. The essay traces Feinberg’s career path, provides a synopsis of his 10 monographs, and discusses (briefly) his liberalism.