Multiple Principles and the Obligation to Obey the Law

Nkiruka, A., Multiple Principles and the Obligation to Obey the Law, Deakin Law Review. Vol. 10. No. 2. 2005. p. 524 RAE2008

George Klosko's multiple principle theory of political obligation is a re-cent formulation for the existence of a general obligation to obey the law. In the paper, I argue that the generality requirement of the obligation to obey the law gives rise to normative and factual problems of, respectively, motivation and comprehensiveness. I aim to show that whereas the multi-ple principle theory may solve the factual problem of the generality re-quirement, it does not solve its normative problem which I characterise as a first-personal implication of the question, 'why should I obey the law?'

Peer reviewed