19 December 2013, Beth Lecture, John F. Horty

The aim of this talk to offer a formal understanding of common law reasoning -- especially the nature of this reasoning, but also its point, or justification, in terms of social coordination. I will present two, possibly three, formal models of the common law, and argue for one according to which courts are best thought of, not as creating and modifying rules, but as generating a priority ordering on reasons. The work draws on bits of logic, and also on research in artificial intelligence and law; it contributes to legal theory, and also, possibly, to applied ethics.

For more information, please contact f.veltman at uva.nl