The focus of this monograph lies in the construction of a theory of legal obligation, understanding it as a discrete notion with its own defining traits. In this work, Bertea specifically addresses the question: how should legal obligation be distinctively conceptualized? The conceptualization of legal obligation he defends in this work gradually emerges from a critical assessment of the theories of legal obligation that have been most influential in the contemporary legal-theoretical debate. Building on such critical analysis, Bertea's study purports to offer a novel and unconventional conceptualization of legal obligation, which is characterized as a law-engendered intersubjective reason for carrying out certain courses of conduct.
This book puts forward an original and sustained argument concerning the relations between law and obligation. Highlighting the conceptual connections of law and obligation, Bertea establishes a theory of legal obligation that engages with and offers critiques of commonly-held understandings in contemporary jurisprudence.
