8/9/2019 Book Review on Logic for Law Students, How to Think Like a Lawyer

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Neldon Jay F. Verzosa

 January 24, 2015

 JD – 1 EH -

408

A Boo !e"#e$ on

%&o'#( )or &a$ *+uden+s Ho$ +o #n &#e a &a$yer/

By !u''ero . Ald#ser+, *+een lo$ney, and Jere3y D. e+erson

%&o'#( #s +e l#)elood o) . . . la$/. %&67 F6! &A9 *:DEN* H69 6

 HN; &;E A &A9<E!/ y Jud'e !u''ero J. Ald#ser+, addresses +e need )or s+uden+s

o) +e la$ +o e3loy lo'#( +o (ons+ru(+ sens#le and (o3ell#n' ar'u3en+s. + #s a

)a(+ +a+ lo'#( and lo'#(al reason#n' #s no+ e#n' '#"en +e a++en+#on #+ ou'+ +o a"e

des#+e #+s s#'n#=(an(e #n +e le'al ro)ess#on. ere sould e a re)or3 on +#s

"#e$> all la$ s(ools sould, and a+ leas+, or#en+ s+uden+s #n +e r#n(#les o) lo'#(

and o$ +ey sould e al#ed #n le'al reason#n' and ar'u3en+. As sa#d y +e

au+or, %&ea"#n' s+uden+s +o d#s+#ll +e r#n(#les o) lo'#( on +e#r o$n #s l#e as#n'

+e3 +o des#'n a ro(e+ $#+ou+ +ea(#n' +e3 +e rules o) ys#(s./ 9#+ +#s $or

+e au+or a++e3+s +o e?la#n +e (ore r#n(#les o) lo'#( and o$ +ey aly no+

only #n +e a(ade3e u+ ul+#3a+ely #n +e le'al arena. + #s +e (la#3 o) +e au+ors

+a+ %a erson )a3#l#ar $#+ +e as#(s o) lo'#(al +#n#n' #s 3ore l#ely +o ar'ue

e@e(+#"ely +an one $o #s no+.

 e $or del"es #n+o +ree r#3ary ar+s o) lo'#(, na3ely 1 dedu(+#"e

reason#n'> 2 #ndu(+#"e 'eneral#za+#ons> and las+ly, C reason#n' y analo'y –

ano+er )or3 o) #ndu(+#"e reason#n'.

n +e =rs+ ar+, +e au+or +als aou+ dedu(+#on as a reason#n' #n $#( a

(on(lus#on #s (o3elled y no$n )a(+s. *yllo'#s3 #s one o) +e 3os+ se(#=( )or3s

o) dedu(+#"e reason#n' +a+ (an e )ound #n 3os+ ud#(#al o#n#ons and r#e)s. n +#s

)or3 o) reason#n', $e are 3ade +o #n)er +a+ $a+ #s +rue o) +e un#"ersal #s +rue +o

+e ar+#(ular. ) $e no$ +a+ e"ery 3e3er o) a (lass as (er+a#n (ara(+er#s+#(,

and +a+ (er+a#n #nd#"#duals are 3e3ers o) +a+ (lass, +en +ose #nd#"#duals 3us+a"e +a+ (ara(+er#s+#(. For e?a3le, $e no$ +a+ all (ars a"e $eels, and +a+ a

 oyo+a #s a (ar, +en a oyo+a 3us+ a"e $eels. Ho$e"er, +#s #s no+ asolu+e. Be

a$are o) a$ed syllo'#s3s $ere#n +e (er+a#n (ara(+er#s+#(s o) a (lass 3ay no+

aly +o a (er+a#n #nd#"#duals. For e?a3le Some men are tall, Socrates is a man,

and therefore Socrates is tall. 

8/9/2019 Book Review on Logic for Law Students, How to Think Like a Lawyer

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/book-review-on-logic-for-law-students-how-to-think-like-a-lawyer 2/2

n +e se(ond ar+, +e au+or seas aou+ #ndu(+#"e 'eneral#za+#ons as a

)or3 o) lo'#( #n $#( %#', 'eneral r#n(#les are d#"#ned )ro3 oser"#n' +e

ou+(o3es o) 3any s3all e"en+s./ %n +#s )or3 o) #ndu(+#"e lo'#(, you reason )ro3

3ul+#le ar+#(ulars +o +e 'eneral./ Ho$e"er, +e d#(ul+y (o3es #n as(er+a#n#n'

o$ 3any #ns+an(es are su(#en+ +o 3ae a 'eneral#za+#on. ere)ore, +o a"o#d +e

)alla(y o) as+y 'eneral#za+#on, e?er+ resear( and een a++en+#on +o s+a+#s+#(s $#lld#"#ne $orale rules +a+ are 'rounded #n +e $#sdo3 o) u3an e?er#en(e. For +e

$ords o) +e au+or, %No+$#+s+and#n' #+s sor+(o3#n's, #ndu(+#"e 'eneral#za+#on

re3a#ns a "#+al +ool, e(ause +e a#l#+y +o sae ersuas#"e le'al ar'u3en+s $en

no (lear re(eden+ e?#s+s #s o)+en $a+ seara+es a s+ar a++orney )ro3 your run-o)-

+e-3#ll a3ulan(e (aser.

&as+ly, reason#n' y analo'y. #s #s one o) +e 3os+ (ru(#al ase(+s o) +e

s+udy and ra(+#(e o) la$. Analo'y #s a ro(ess o) reason#n' )ro3 +e ar+#(ular +o

+e ar+#(ular. Analo'#es ser"e a se(#=( urose> +o (o3are ne$ le'al #ssues +o

=r3ly es+al#sed re(eden+s. Hen(e, +#s 3eans +a+ a (urren+ (ase #s (o3ared +o

an older one, and +a+ ou+(o3e o) +e ne$ (ase #s red#(a+ed on +e as#s o) +e

o+ers ou+(o3e. As +e au+or u+s #+, %analo'y (an el a udd#n' la$yer ad"an(e

un+es+ed le'al ar'u3en+s #n +e (lassroo3 and +e (our+roo3./ Ho$e"er, +ere #s a

dan'er +a+ sould e (au+#oned. Analo'y ased on #rrele"an+ s#3#lar#+#es #s )alse

and o) no use a+ all.

 Ho$e"er, as an endno+e, #+ (anno+ e #'nored +a+ +ere #s 3ore +o +e la$

+an 3ere asse3l#n' o) lo'#(al e?ress#on. <es, unders+and#n' as#( lo'#(al )or3s

$#ll ass#s+ s+uden+s o) +e la$ #n o+ la$ s(ool and la$ ra(+#(e. Ho$e"er, as

s+a+ed y +e au+or, %lo'#( #s no+ +e $ole 'a3e . . . e"en #) your re3#ses are

+rue and your lo'#(al s+a+e3en+s (ons+ru(+ed roer+y, #+ #s (ru(#al +o re(o'n#ze +a+

 ud'es are 3o+#"a+ed y 3ore +an +e 3anda+es o) lo'#(./ + (an ne"er e rused

as#de +e 3e+a-le'al s+#3ul# #neren+ly resen+ #n ea( and e"ery erson su( as

#ases, o#n#ons, e?er#en(es, (ul+ure, 3oral#+y and ur#n'#n'. Bu+ as +e au+or

u+s #+ “An argument that is correctly reasoned may be wrong, but an argument 

that is incorrectly reasoned can never be right.”