Principles of International Law

Hans Kelsen, an influential legal philosopher, developed a "pure theory" of law, emphasizing its logical self-sufficiency and independence from extralegal values. In his work Principles of International Law, Kelsen envisioned a unified world legal order that would complement national legal systems. He sought to explain the normative force of law—its claim to authority—without relying on empirical facts about people's beliefs or behaviors. Kelsen proposed a "basic norm" (Grundnorm) as the presupposed source of a legal system's authority, avoiding an infinite regress of justification. This approach contrasted with H.L.A. Hart's positivism, which grounded legal validity in social rules and the practices of legal officials.123