Rhetoric and the Rule of Law: A Theory of Legal Reasoning (Law, State, and Practical Reason)

Is Legal Reasoning Rationally Persuasive, Working Within A Discernible Structure And Using Recognisable Kinds Of Arguments? Does It Belong To Rhetoric In This Sense, Or To The Domain Of The Merely 'rhetorical' In An Adversative Sense? Neil Maccormick Tackles These Questions To Provide A Comparative Analysis Of Legal Reasoning. Institutional Theory And The Lawmaker's Perspective -- The Rule Of Law And The Arguable Character Of Law -- On The Legal Syllogism -- Defending Deductivism -- Universals And Particulars -- Judging By Consequences -- Arguing About Interpretation -- Using Precedents -- Being Reasonable -- Coherence, Principles, And Analogies -- Legal Narratives -- Arguing Defeasibly -- Judging Mistakenly? Neil Maccormick. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.