The problems of jurisprudence /

The problems of jurisprudence considered explicitly are examined in five sections: "The Epistemology of Law," "The Ontology of Law," "Interpretation Revisited," "Substantive Justice," and "A Jurisprudence Without Foundations." The book is a thoughtful and thought-provoking examination and commentary on analytical approaches to the study of law. Perhaps surprising in a work of analysis and commentary by a convinced and powerful exponent of the "law and economics" school of analysis, the exposition here is far from dogmatic, far less contentious than it is searching and reflective. Indeed, so much does reflection and deliberative evaluation characterize Posner's volume that it emerges finally as what it may in truth be: an engaging, richly meditative reflection on a line of Benjamin Cardozo's--"What is it I do when I decide a case?" The problems Posner calls attention to reflect the efforts he has made to answer that question. Every jurist, lawyer, scholar, and graduate student in the life study called "law" should read this book. Highly recommended to well-informed upper-division undergraduate and graduate students. Useful notes and index; no bibliography. -L. Weinstein, Smith College