Legal Philosophers Report: Philosopher: HLA Hart (Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart)

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“Behind his public success, Hart struggled with demons.” Hart’s words didn’t only change people, but it changed how people saw law than and how people see law now. Hart was known to be one of the greatest British legal philosophers; Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart or as he was known as HLA Hart. He was born on the 18th of July, 1907 in Harrogate, England. He was the son of a Jewish family, his parents Rose and Simeon Hart were dressmakers. Even though his parents were of a Jewish background, Hart didn’t really consider him a Jew he was of Polish and German decent, though he spent most of his life in England as a professor.
Before he became a professor; Hart gained his knowledge from Bradford School and New College Oxford. After completing his education at Oxford, he became a barrister and practiced at the Chancery Bar from 1930 to 1940. During the war years because of his unfit service he worked with M15 a division of British Military Intelligence; he served until 1938 that’s when he returned to Oxford to pursue an academic career. This was when he met Jenifer Williams who he later on got married to. Things got better in 1945 when he was appointed a tutor at the New College and seven years later he was appointed as a professor at the University of Oxford. He conveyed lectures to undergraduates about rights and duties.
Hart's main goal was to tell the truth as a lecturer and writer. Hart understood law as taking the place of a custom or relying on the custom to form a decision to be made. Hart was the one that classified the rules of tort and criminal law as “primary and secondary rules.” Primary rules force us to do something or refrains us from an action. For example; we are forbidden from theft and if done there's a punishment. ...

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...imary rules. These rules help identify each problem and how the problem should be dealt with, for example we know that primary rules deal with divorces and secondary are contracts and agreements with parties as well they restrain us from a certain action and or obligate us to do something, but if something that we are restricted from doing is done than there's a punishment for that action. His theory really helped make things easier because we were able classify the different rules to come to a conclusion for each problem.
Every person struggles to get to the top and with fame and respect comes hard work that every person does to be where they are now. Like many HLA Hart made a change, made a difference in our law. His theory, his work is still lectured to students everywhere. He resigned from everything in 1969 and on the 19th of December, 1992 Hart passed away.

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