In face of persistent and notable efforts taking place in many parts of the world today to make modern logic a tool of legal thought, lawyers are inclined to ask: "What is the real significance of modern logic for us?" A sum mary answer to this question is: "Modern logic provides up-to-date principles and methods for tracing and display ing self-consistent thought, which is indispensable for ef ficient and proper performance of legal tasks." This answer may not satisfy the questioner's (...) curiosity about modern logic in the service of law. If he wants to know more, he is invited to join in an investigation of the various ways in which modern logic can prove useful in legal thought. The present book proposes to engage in such an investi gation, and in doing so it also endeavors to meet various challenges to legal logic. If the value of this logic is totally denied, a reaction to this denial is to ask what its reasonable alternative could possibly be. So far there appears to be no sensible reply to this question. The merit of many specific criticisms of legal logic is indisputable. (shrink)