Logic for law students
08 March 2007
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. once said, “"The life of the law has not been logic, but experience.” Nevertheless, sound logic never hurt a legal argument. So I commend Logic for Law Students: How to Think Like a Lawyer. One of the authors is Judge Ruggero Aldisert, author Logic for Lawyers, which is a classic. The other two authors are Judge Aldisert’s colleagues at the U.S. Third Circuit, Judges Third Circuit law clerks Stephen Clowney and Jeremy Peterson. Here’s the abstract of their article:
Law schools no longer teach logic. In the authors’ view this is tragic, given that the fundamental principles of logic continue to undergird the law and guide the thinking of judges. In an effort to reverse the trend, this essay explains the core principles of logic and how they apply in the law school classroom. The manuscript begins by examining the basics of the deductive syllogisms and then turns to inductive generalizations and the uses and abuses of analogies. The authors claim that students who master the basics of logic laid out in this article will be better lawyers and will feel more comfortable when they find themselves presenting arguments to judges and juries.
A giant tip of the huge sombrero to Sue Liemer for this post.