New book co-edited by Professor Sandy Steel in honour of John Gardner

Sandy Steel, Professor of Law and Philosophy of Law, has co-edited the book, Private Law and Practical Reason: Essays on John Gardner's Private Law Theory, with Haris Psarras (Associate Professor of Law at the University of Southampton) in honour of leading 21st century analytic philosopher, John Gardner. John was Professor of Jurisprudence at University College from 2000 to 2016 and a Senior Research Fellow of All Souls College from 2016. He passed away in 2019.

Published by Oxford University Press on 30 March 2023, Private Law and Practical Reason examines how contemporary jurisprudence and the common law tradition respond to private law dilemmas with moral and political implications. Engaging with John Gardner's philosophical work on private law, the book also sheds a light on the foundations of tort law, contract law, and equity, that stresses the unity of private law.

The publisher says

...the aim of Private Law and Practical Reason is to facilitate a critical assessment of the private law thinking of one of the most important legal philosophers of the last fifty years.

Many of the book's contributors have not directly engaged with Gardner's work previously but they use his theories as a reference to private law debates including the role of moral duties, the justification of reparative obligations, and, more broadly, the role of reasons in private law.

Private Law and Practical Reason: Essays on John Gardner's Private Law Theory is available in hardback and eBook format.