NATURAL LAW & LEGAL POSITIVISM
OVERVIEW
This WRITING ASSISTANCE requires you not only to explain legal positivism and natural law but to explore the consistencies and inconsistencies of each theory with a biblical worldview. In analyzing whether each of the two theories are consistent with a biblical worldview, be sure to evaluate the foundational beliefs of each theory and whether they are consistent with what the Bible explains to be right thinking and just results. After that analysis, you should choose a specific, current, legal issue facing the nation (UNITED STATES) and explain how natural law and legal positivism would approach the issue and what result to the issue would be reached under each theory. This will help you see how the theories are used in contemporary legal thinking.
INSTRUCTIONS
This WRITING ASSSITANCE will explore legal positivism and natural law. Please address the following in your
paper.
- Explain legal positivism, referencing the various positivist theorists without giving a full report of each theorist. Instead, offer a general statement of legal positivism (what it is), and then discuss distinctives of some of the theorists.
- Explain natural law, referencing the various natural law theorists without giving a full report of each theorist. Instead, offer a general statement of natural law (what it is), and then discuss distinctives of some of the theorists.
- Whether the foundational beliefs of legal positivism and natural law are consistent with a biblical perspective. Explain fully. Be sure to identify the key difference in the foundational beliefs of those two theories.
- Discuss the outcome of a specific, contemporary (facing the nation within the past two decades) legal issue that exemplifies a legal positivist perspective. Explain fully why it exemplifies the theory.
- Discuss the outcome of a specific, contemporary (facing the nation within the past two decades) legal issue that exemplifies a natural law perspective. Explain fully why it exemplifies the theory.
NATURAL LAW & LEGAL POSITIVISM
Your paper should be 2,800-3,000 words in current Bluebook format. You must include at least ten references from a minimum of five separate, scholarly sources. You may need more sources to support your factual and legal assertions. Your citations should be placed in footnotes and you do not need a reference or bibliography page. You also do not need a cover page. Page numbers should be placed at the bottom, center of the page. You should use double-spacing with 1-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font. Finally, you must use block quote formatting for quotations of 50 words or more. Block quotes are indented an additional quarter inch on both sides, are single spaced, and do not begin or end with quotation marks. APA.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.