Dworkin, Ronald

Dworkin, Ronald (Myles)

(1931– ) legal scholar; born in Wooster, Mass. He is considered one of the clearest, most brilliant theorists of jurisprudence; his work challenges strict adherence to the letter of the law in favor of individual liberties and moral principles in books as Taking Rights Seriously (1977), A Matter of Principle (1985), and Law's Empire (1986). He taught at Yale (1962–69), then at Oxford University (1969), and concurrently at New York University since 1975.