The concept of law lies at the heart of our social and political life, shaping the character of our community and underlying issues from racism and abortion to human rights and international war. But what actually is law? A set of naturally occurring moral principles, or simply rules agreed by a particular society? What is a 'right' and what rights should people actually have? Is law really colour-blind and gender-blind? Can the law truly tell us whether gay marriages are immoral, what's wrong with racism, or whether we should go to war? Revealing the intriguing and challenging nature of legal philosophy with clarity and enthusiasm, Raymond Wacks explores the notion of law and its role in our lives. Referring to key thinkers from Aristotle to Rawls, Bentham, Dworkin, H.L.A. Hart and Derrida, he looks at the central questions behind legal theory that have fascinated lawyers and philosophers - and anyone - who ever wondered about law's relation to justice, morality, and democracy.

Raymond Wacks　香港大学法学和法理学荣誉退休教授。主要研究领域为法学理论、隐私权和人权，所发表作品涉及法律及法哲学的诸多方面。主要著作包括：《个人信息：隐私与法律》（1993）、《法理学》（1999，该书在世界范围内作为教材被广泛采用）、《理解法理学：法律理论引论》（2005）等。