Rational Formation of the Law
Rational in this case means both logical and empirical. There are those philosophers who strive to develop a logical and empirical basis for the law. One such person was John Stuart Mill. Mill claimed that social obligation is the result of people living together in society and not the results of natural law or some other contrived invention from which obligations can be assumed such as a social contract. Mill process of determining social obligation was simply stated as we have obligations to others because we live with others in society and we gain benefit from living with those others. This is logical and empirical. Our obligations are the result of living in the same society of others and not dependent on some teleological end of mankind, society or the universe.
This notion is ultimately pragmatic because it is not dependent on anything other than observable circumstances.