William E. Conklin Books

The book explores the concept of a constitution, emphasizing that it transcends mere texts or legal frameworks. Instead, it is portrayed as a collective image shaped by the legal consciousness of a community. By clarifying what a constitution is not, the author invites readers to understand its deeper significance and the role it plays in societal values and identity. This perspective challenges traditional notions and encourages a reevaluation of the constitutional framework within a community’s legal consciousness.

Exploring the intersection of private and public law, the author examines how non-lawyers often feel alienated from legal discourse. The book delves into the hidden meanings and experiences of those outside the legal profession, highlighting the challenges they face in understanding and engaging with the law. By uncovering these concealed perspectives, the author aims to bridge the gap between legal knowledge and the lived experiences of individuals.

Hegel's Laws serves as an accessible introduction to Hegel's ideas on the nature of law. In this book, William Conklin examines whether state-centric domestic and international laws are binding upon autonomous individuals. The author also explores why Hegel assumes that this arrangement is more civilized than living in a stateless culture. The book takes the reader through different structures of legal consciousness, from the private law of property, contract, and crimes to intentionality, the family, the role of the state, and international law. Conklin clearly introduces Hegel's vocabulary and contrasts Hegel's issues and arguments with leading contemporary legal philosophers. The book's originality and interdisciplinary focus open up Hegel's legal philosophy, providing a background to forms of legal consciousness for a wide audience. Addressing whether Hegel succeeds in his endeavor to explain why laws are binding, Conklin comments directly on contemporary constitutional and international law and reveals how Hegel's ideas on law stand up in the world today.