Legal Realism Regained
Saving Realism from Critical Acclaim
Published on 13. February 2008
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-0-8047-5659-4 (ISBN)
Description
Legal Realism Regained presents a comparison between the legal realists, a group of pragmatic legal theorists from the 1920s and 1930s, and critical legal studies, a movement of postmodern legal theory during the end of the twentieth century. The book argues for a return to legal realism and the classical pragmatism of John Dewey and William James and for a rejection of the postmodern critique of critical legal studies. It discusses the two movements with respect to three topics: their view of history, their view of social science, and their view of language.
Rejecting the claim that critical legal studies can be seen as the heir of legal realism, Legal Realism Regained argues that, with respect to each of these three topics, the realists still present a stronger argument than their more radical descendants.
Rejecting the claim that critical legal studies can be seen as the heir of legal realism, Legal Realism Regained argues that, with respect to each of these three topics, the realists still present a stronger argument than their more radical descendants.
Reviews / Votes
"Legal Realism Revisited is an ambitious book, which revisits the relationship between legal realism and critical legal studies in an interesting and provocative way. The discussion in the book is learned, thorough, and quite sophisticated." -Hanoch Dagan, Tel-Aviv University "Discussions of American Legal Realism as a movement in legal thought are numerous, but seldom enlightening. Wouter de Been's Legal Realism Revisited is a notable exception. His patient reconstruction of the topic is a model of the intellectual historian's craft. In particular, his discussion of the role of functionalism in realist writing clarifies many issues that earlier authors have left murky." - John H. Schlegel (University at Buffalo Law School) "Wouter de Been provides a thorough and sophisticated look at oft-neglected elements of legal realism and critical legal studies, details differences between the two movements, and offers a compelling argument for the continuing vitality of certain components of legal realism. The author displays an impressive mastery not only of the movements themselves, but also of underlying concepts drawn from history, sociology, law and philosophy." - Adam Shajnfeld (Columbia)More details
Series
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Palo Alto
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Cloth
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
496 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8047-5659-4 (9780804756594)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Wouter de Been works as a researcher for the Wiardi Beckman Foundation in Amsterdam, a research institution affiliated with the Dutch Labour Party.
Content
Contents Preface 1. Tale of Two Movements A Twice Told Tale The Realism of Legal Realism Langdellian Orthodoxy The Realist Critique The Legacy of Legal Realism The Critical Legal Studies Movement: Realism meets Radicalism The Problem Historicism Social Science Language Method E Pluribus Unum 2. The Seeds of Time: Legal Realism and Legal History In the Footsteps of Oliver Wendell Holmes The Evolution of Evolutionary Theory: From Social Darwinism to Scientific Naturalism Oliver Wendell Holmes v. Herbert Spencer Scientific Naturalism Realist Legal History Conclusion 3. The Wealth of Historicism: Legal History in the Critical Mold Clio Unleashed The Problem with Functionalism and Adaptationism Conclusion 4. You Keep Samin= when You Ought to Be Changin=: The Realist Turn to Social Science The Llewellyn-Pound Exchange Realism in the Age of Relativity Functionalism Predictivism Instrumentalism The UCC Conclusion 5. Oh, the Tangled Webs We Weave: The CLS Critique of Social Science Social Science as Politics Critique of Science and Reason The Poverty of Functionalism Conclusion 6. Night of the Living Dead: Legal Realist Anti-Conceptualism Meaning as Reference Meaning in a Functionalist Framework Legal Realism and Language Conclusion 7. The World Well Lost: Variations on the Linguistic Theme A Portrait of Wittgenstein as a Radical Philosopher CLS and Post-Structuralism The Fragmentation of CLS Conclusion 8. These Boots Were Made For Walking: The Continued Relevance of Legal Realism The Revival of Pragmatism Pragmatism and History Pragmatism and Social Science Value-Free or Purposive Social Science Behaviorism v. Interpretivism Pragmatism and Language Paradigms Incommensurability Interpretation Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index