What a brilliant idea to teach law to philosophers and philosophy to lawyers and both to those innocent of but interested in both, via a text, that uses one to illuminate the other. Here are philosophys biggest hits, Gettiers problem, Gricean implicature, Russels theory of descriptions, Humes Fork, the ship of Theseus, reasoning by abduction, referential opacity, and speech acts side-by-side with doctrines of mens rea, proximate causation, and hearsay, and legal cases raising questions such as whether the collapse of the twin towers constituted one or two accidents for insurance purposes. It works so beautifully because there are few philosophical problems that dont show up in legal guise, and few cases that dont raise interesting philosophical issues. I know of no other book that has done what this one does. Leo Katz, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and author of Bad Acts and Guilty Minds
The theme of Kenneth Glazers book From Socrates to the Supreme Court is that Law and philosophy are inextricably linked a greater understanding of the one leads to a greater understanding of the other. (253). Glazer does a wonderful job developing this theme. His book goes back and forth between insights and puzzles posed by philosophical discussions and actual cases in the law that use the insights or get stuck in a way the puzzles illuminate. An undergraduate course based on Glazers book would appeal to philosophy majors considering law as a next step in their lives, and to students already headed towards the law who are fascinated by philosophy. But its not just a textbook. Glazer is a gifted writer and the back and forth makes for great reading. As a philosopher, I did learn a lot about the law -- and also a fair amount about philosophy, for that matter. It would make a great book for adult reading groups, and a great gift for a lawyer who doesnt appreciate philosophy -- or perhaps even for a Supreme Court Justice who doesnt seem to appreciate logic. John Perry, Stanford University
Kenneth Glazers new book From Socrates to the Supreme Court is a lucid introduction to issues that intersect and overlap law and philosophy. Its an excellent textbook for a course that should be more widespread: not, as he explains, the usual philosophy of law course covering jurisprudence, natural law, and positivism, but rather philosophy and law, exploring the many issues in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, political thought, ethics, and other areas where philosophical understanding illuminates legal issues and vice versa. No other book I know of explores this important terrain. -- Judith Lichtenberg, Professor Emerita of Philosophy, Georgetown University
