Overview

Samuel questions the widely held assumption that to have knowledge of law is simply to have knowledge of rules. In this volume, he examines what it is to have knowledge of law, embracing not only conceptual foundations and methods used by jurists, but also epistemological schemes employed by social scientists in general, in order to show that such schemes are closely related to those used by lawyers and judges.

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9781855215993

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Reviews

'Epistemology - the structure of legal thinking and legal knowledge - is an essential, but challenging aspect of the study of law. Concepts, categories and relationships shape our understanding of rules and of facts in law. In Epistemology and Method in Law, Geoffrey Samuel makes the topic accessible both to theorists and non-theorists alike. He engages with some abstract literature, but then uses many concrete illustrations drawn from a range of European legal systems to enable ordinary lawyers to assess their implications. The work is extensive, lucid and thought-provoking. The book will be read with profit by a wide range of legal scholars and advanced students.' Professor John Bell, University of Cambridge, UK 'Professor Geoffrey Samuel's learned examination of legal reasoning represents a most important contribution to jurisprudential studies. Building on his encyclopaedic mastery of English case-law, the author deploys an impressive range of historical, philosophical, and comparative arguments to sustain his central thesis that knowledge of law cannot be reduced to knowledge of rules. Professor Samuel's timely and challenging book is sure to get the very wide readership it undoubtedly deserves.' Professor Pierre Legrand, Universite Pantheon-Sorbonne, Paris, France

Author Information

Geoffrey Samuel, Kent Law School, UK

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