Patrons at the Arthur W. Diamond Law Library at Columbia University (USA) can encounter a duplicate of an automobile wheel that relates to the 1916 court case heard by Judge Benjamin Cardozo in MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co. The wheel is an object that hangs on a wall on the fourth floor of the...
Not every effort triggers a successful outcome. Academic efforts are no exception, and endeavours may fail because of different reasons and at different stages. Failure should be considered a learning experience both for those who attempted to succeed and for those who might attempt in the future...
Legal science evolves in many ways. Academic curiosity is an important drive in that evolution, opening paths of exploration and igniting awareness on the needs of society. Curiosity–in all its forms–deals with exploring, discovering, and learning towards acquiring new knowledge. Its etymology...
Kaleidoscopic approaches to legal history can only be beneficial, serving as means to enhance collaboration and further disciplinary development. Advocates for a blended approach to legal history leave behind strict disciplinary boundaries and call for interdisciplinary efforts. They seek to find a...
Years ago, when I still had a tv, one of my guilty pleasures was watching Hell’s Kitchen. You know, that show in which a certain foul-mouthed Scottish master chef tries to teach a bunch of unskilled wannabees how to prepare a decent meal, predominantly by yelling at them all the time? Quite an...
Academic life entails walking a path in which we can learn and help others learn. It is a two way road, where awareness of roles and of the impact of our actions is fundamental. A question tends to emerge in that academic path: to what extent is it possible to speak of the existence of academic...
Codification of different areas of law took the stage in the nineteenth-century.[1] The process of scientific revolution – which had started with the Enlightenment and Humanist Movement and was followed by Rationalistic Natural Law Theorizing – led the way to codification.[2] Several jurisdictions...
Evolution of legal science can better take place as a consequence of academic dialogue. Engaging in such dialogue is a manifestation of humbleness, of being willing to listen, and of welcoming growth. Academic dialogue is the epitome of university life. It can take place in three dimensions...
Law journals can inform the community about developments in legal science. Journals offer a public forum where networks can be formed and nurtured, growing around the publication of research findings and the discussion amongst peers, ultimately reaching intellectual consensus within a specific...
The pain and suffering of accident victims does not have a price and, in claims for damages, no fixed economic value. Thus, quantifying the amount of money needed to compensate for pain and suffering is a subjective exercise often influenced by adjudicators’ biases.
