The Danish legal philosopher Alf Ross formed a link between Scandinavian and American legal realists, on one hand, and the scientific ethos of Hans Kelsen (1881–1973), on the other. Like the Scandinavian realists, Ross represented an energetically antimetaphysical orientation to legal study. To the extent that law had reality—that is, to the extent one could submit it to scientific study—it was to be understood by reference to the sense of psychological compulsion that its prescriptive sentences created.

Like American legal realists, Ross thought that the most significant place in which this compulsion took place was in the minds of judges. Similar to Kelsen (whom he greatly admired), Ross was interested in the conditions of validity of statements about law, though as with realists, he identified them ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles