Can the arguments of lawyers be rationally persuasive even if logically inconclusive? If not what becomes of the supposed security of living under the rule of law? This book answers these issues by offering a theory of legal reasoning and interpretation that addresses central problems in understanding the nature of law and the value of legality. Its erudite elegance means that it will serve as an excellent introduction to jurisprudence for undergraduates, as well as providing a major contribution to legal philosophy. MacCormick reaffirms the dialectic between the universal and the particular.