When asked why people obey the law, legal scholars usually give two answers. Law deters illicit activities by specifying sanctions, and it possesses legitimate authority in the eyes of society. Richard McAdams shifts the prism on this familiar question to offer another compelling explanation of how the law creates compliance: through its expressive power to coordinate our behavior and inform our beliefs.

"McAdams's account is useful, powerful, and--a rarity in legal theory--concrete...McAdams's treatment reveals important insights into how rational agents reason and interact both...