American Legal Thought from Premodernism to Postmodernism: An Intellectual Voyage

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Oxford University Press, 2000 - Art - 272 pages
American legal thought has progressed remarkably quickly from premodernism to modernism and into postmodernism in little over 200 years, running from the nation's founding through the 20th century. This book tells the story of this mercurial journey of jurisprudence by showing the development of legal thought through these three intellectual periods. Feldman's narrative revolves around two broad interrelated themes: jurisprudential foundations and the idea of progress. Comprehensive and accessible, the book draws on significant cases from Supreme Court history to provide a handy one-volume overview for law students, practitioners, and legal scholars.

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Contents

Introduction On Intellectual History
3
Charting the Intellectual Waters Premodernism Modernism and Postmodernism
11
Premodern American Legal Thought
49
Modern American Legal Thought
83
Postmodern American Legal Thought
137
Conclusion A Glimpse of the Future?
188
Notes
199
Index
263
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About the author (2000)

Stephen M. Feldman is at University of Tulsa.

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