{"product_id":"why-the-law-is-so-leo-katz-9780226426037","title":"Why the Law Is So Perverse","description":"\u003cp\u003eConundrums, puzzles, and perversities: these are Leo Katz's stock-in-trade, and in \u003ci\u003eWhy the Law Is So Perverse\u003c\/i\u003e, he focuses on four fundamental features of our legal system, all of which seem to not make sense on some level and to demand explanation. First, legal decisions are essentially made in an either\/or fashion-guilty or not guilty, liable or not liable, either it's a contract or it's not-but reality is rarely as clear-cut. Why aren't there any in-between verdicts? Second, the law is full of loopholes. No one seems to like them, but somehow they cannot be made to disappear. Why? Third, legal systems are loath to punish certain kinds of highly immoral conduct while prosecuting other far less pernicious behaviors. What makes a villainy a felony? Finally, why does the law often prohibit what are sometimes called win-win transactions, such as organ sales or surrogacy contracts?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKatz asserts that these perversions arise out of a cluster of logical difficulties related to multicriterial decision making. The discovery of these difficulties dates back to Condorcet's eighteenth-century exploration of voting rules, which marked the beginning of what we know today as social choice theory. Condorcet's voting cycles, Arrow's Theorem, Sen's Libertarian Paradox-every seeming perversity of the law turns out to be the counterpart of one of the many voting paradoxes that lie at the heart of social choice. Katz's lucid explanations and apt examples show why they resist any easy resolutions.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e called Katz's first book \"a fascinating romp through the philosophical side of the law.\" \u003ci\u003eWhy the Law Is So Perverse\u003c\/i\u003e is sure to provide its readers a similar experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Leo Katz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226426033\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226426037\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 256\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.19lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2011 pg. 92\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2012","brand":"Leo Katz","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44056655036671,"sku":"9780226426037","price":60.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_1738a92d-8ff5-4f6d-82fc-e5689824f720.jpg?v=1685042526","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/why-the-law-is-so-leo-katz-9780226426037","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}