The Hart–Devlin debate was a famous debate in the mid-twentieth century between legal philosophers
Patrick Devlin and
H. L. A. Hart
Herbert Lionel Adolphus Hart (; 18 July 190719 December 1992) was a British legal philosopher. One of the most influential legal theorists of the 20th century, he was instrumental in the development of the theory of legal positivism, which wa ...
about whether the law is a suitable tool for the enforcement of morality. The debate arose in the context of
a proposal to
decriminalize homosexuality in the United Kingdom. Devlin argued that the law is a suitable tool to enforce morality, while Hart disagreed.
See also
*
Legal moralism
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Philosophy of law
Criminalization of homosexuality
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart-Devlin debate