Sharpening the Legal Mind : How to Think Like a Lawyer / William Powers ; edited by John Deigh.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Powers, William, Jr., 1946-2019, author.

Contributor:

Deigh, John, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Law--United States--Methodology--History.

Law.

Jurisprudence--United States--History.

Jurisprudence.

Law--Study and teaching--United States--History.

United States.

Genre:

History

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (239 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin, Texas : University of Texas Press, [2023]

Summary:

"The way lawyers and judges think about the law can appear deeply mysterious. They see nuance and meaning in statutes and long-ranging implications in rules that seem hidden to the rest of us. Accessible and thought provoking, Sharpening the Legal Mind helps explain the cases and controversies that come before the courts. Written by William Powers, the former president of the University of Texas at Austin, this concise and precise reference introduces the philosophical and intellectual history of legal thought, including the academic study of law and legal reasoning and analysis. Powers discusses topics such as the distinction between laws and morals, the relationship been courts and legislatures, and the role of coercion in laws. In eight chapters, he follows the evolution of debates on these issues and others through different generations and movements in American social and legal thought-formalism, realism, utilitarianism-to critical legal studies and postmodern theory. The perfect read for anyone looking for a primer on legal reasoning, Sharpening the Legal Mind is a brief introduction to the historical debates that still influence the rule of law in our lives"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Editor's preface

"I want my old mind back"

"The case of the speluncean explorers"

Law's contours

Law and morals : positivism and natural law

Historical schools of thought : the American Revolution to World War II

Historical schools of thought : the legal process school in the mid-twentieth century

Two background moral theories

Historical schools of thought : critical legal studies and postmodern legal theories

Methodological polytheism.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-211) and index.

ISBN:

9781477326435

147732643X

9781477326428

1477326421

OCLC:

1351201525