Socio-Legal Significance of Lon Fuller’s Theory of ‘Inner Morality of Law’

Lon L. Fuller was an eminent legal philosopher and professor who attracted a lot of attention for his ideas in his 1964 work, ‘The Morality of Law’. His work came at a time when the intellectual discourse on jurisprudence was sharply divided between natural law theorists and positivists. Lon Fuller proposed his theory as a possible reconciliation between the conflicting natural school of law and the positivist school. One of his central arguments was the “inner morality of law” – procedural guidelines on legality that were inherent to and important for any law to achieve its goals. In part, the paper shall review and reaffirm the value of Fuller’s ideas on legality in the face of popular criticisms. More importantly, however, the objective of the following paper is to elucidate how Fuller’s theory promotes dissent, legislative accountability, public agency, discourse, and even a foundation of “moral law”. In order to do this, I will summarize the relevant arguments made by Fuller, introduce the primary criticism of his theory, and argue the value of his principles in advancing a desirable system of law.