On legal obligation (1966)

This paper offers a systematic classification of major theories of legal obligation developed by philosophers and general legal theorists. The proposed classification aims not only to map the principal approaches to legal obligation but also to situate H. L. A. Hart’s theory within this broader landscape, thereby illuminating both the motivations underlying his work and the outcomes it produced. The analysis distinguishes these theories according to two main criteria: the manner in which they define the concept of obligation, and the role they assign to it within the system of legal concepts. Within this framework, the paper further differentiates theories based on the perspectives they adopt, the conceptual elements they employ, and the analytical levels they address.