Perelman in Legal Education: Recalling the Rhetorical Tradition of Isocrates and Vico

Abstract

This paper was presented on October 14, 2008 as part of a panel addressing "The Influence of Perelman in Legal Philosophy" at a conference hosted by the Perelman Center for the Philosophy of Law, Free University of Brussels.

I argue that Perelman's philosophy is connected with legal practice, but that he never made the connections between his philosophy and legal education explicit. I refer to the work of Isocrates and Vico, and conclude that Perelman's philosophy can teach us much about contemporary legal education as we strive to address the questions raised by the Carnegie Report.

Keywords: Chaim Perelman, Legal education, Isocrates, Giambattista Vico, rhetorical knowledge