 (4) Whether or not it is possible to have a general theory of interpretation. Raz 1996a rejects the possibility of two types of general theories of interpretation: ‘operational’ or recipe-like theories which are designed to guide judges to the right decision in a case which comes before them, and theories which, although they may not aim to guide judges to the correct decision, nonetheless claim to provide us with criteria via which to distinguish good interpretations from bad, and so enable us to check the correctness of decisions which have been made. According to Raz, theories of the former kind are impossible because morality (to which recourse must be had as regards the innovative aspect of legal interpretation) is not susceptible to explanation via ‘operational’ theories, i.e., ‘theories which would enable a person whose moral understanding and judgement are suspect to come to the right moral conclusions regarding situations he may face by consulting the theory.’ (Raz 1996a, p21. In this he follows similar claims made by several contemporary moral philosophers, e.g. Williams 1985; Dancy 1993). Moreover, claims Raz, theories which purport to tell us how to differentiate good interpretations from bad are also impossible because, by its very nature, innovation defies generalisation, such that it is futile to attempt to construct a general theory which differentiates good interpretations from bad as regards the forward-looking aspect of interpretation. It should be noted that (as is apparent from the discussions in this entry as a whole), Raz does believe that it is possible to have an account which explains certain aspects of the nature and role of interpretation in legal reasoning; what he doubts is that it is possible to have a certain kind of account of interpretation, namely an account in the form of a theory which purports either to operate as a recipe for concocting good interpretations, or to provide us with a general account of how to evaluate interpretations as good or bad, right or wrong (on this point see also Raz 2009 essay 12 section IX).