Law and philosophy sheds light on fundamental questions about what the law is and what it should be. The intersection of the two areas spans general jurisprudence (inquiries into the nature of law) to special jurisprudence (philosophical analysis of particular bodies of law). Scholarship draws on various subfields in philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy, and philosophy of mind and language.
How does law and philosophy work in the background of our legal and educational systems to inform our ideas of how the law is built, how it should cohere, and the purposes it serves?
Columbia Law has a long tradition of pushing boundaries to address philosophical questions regarding religion, political liberty, freedom of speech, conflict of laws, and morality. Students are guided by professors with expertise in both public and private law theory who draw on philosophy in their work. Together, they probe the nature of law and explore a range of theoretical and philosophical issues.
Why Columbia?
Study with faculty who have J.D.s. and Ph.D.s in philosophy, political science, and political theory, and who employ a philosophical lens in their scholarship on topics including constitutional norms, intellectual property, and labor law.
Interrogate cutting-edge concepts with scholars who are expanding the boundaries of legal thought in courses and seminars such as Law and Philosophy, Political Theory and the First Amendment, Intellectual Property Theory, Critical Legal Thought, and Contemporary Critical Thought.
Explore scholarship through the Law and Philosophy program, which holds an annual law and philosophy workshop series.
Pursue additional academic pathways, including through the Academic Scholars Program and independent study options.
Develop your own research and scholarship by joining journals, as well as utilizing resources at the Law School and at Columbia University.
“I’m interested in places where legal reasoning runs out, where the lawyer’s toolkit ceases to explain the underlying phenomena, and where we need particularly philosophical and conceptual tools.”
—Ashraf Ahmed, associate professor of law
