Skip to content
Home/ Recognizing Wrongs
Recognizing Wrongs

Recognizing Wrongs

No customer reviews yet ISBN 9780674241701 Harvard

Two preeminent legal scholars explain what tort law is all about and why it matters, and describe their own view of tort's philosophical basis: civil recourse theory.

Tort law is badly misunderstood. In the popular imagination, it is "Robin Hood" law. Law professors, meanwhile, mostly dismiss it as an archaic, inefficient way to compensate victims and incentivize safety precautions. In Recognizing Wrongs, John Goldberg and Benjamin Zipursky explain the distinctive and important role that tort law plays in our legal system: it defines injurious wrongs and provides victims with the power to respond to those wrongs civilly.

Tort law rests on a basic and powerful ideal: a person who has been mistreated by another in a manner that the law forbids is entitled to an avenue of civil recourse against the wrongdoer. Through tort law, government fulfills its political obligation to provide this law of wrongs and redress. In Recognizing Wrongs, Goldberg and Zipursky systematically explain how their "civil recourse" conception makes sense of tort doctrine and captures the ways in which the law of torts contributes to the maintenance of a just polity.

Recognizing Wrongs aims to unseat both the leading philosophical theory of tort law--corrective justice theory--and the approaches favored by the law-and-economics movement. It also sheds new light on central figures of American jurisprudence, including former Supreme Court Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and Benjamin Cardozo. In the process, it addresses hotly contested contemporary issues in the law of damages, defamation, malpractice, mass torts, and products liability.

About the author

Product details

BrandHarvard
Pub dateFeb 4, 2020
ISBN-100674241703
ISBN-139780674241701
Pages392
LanguageEnglish
Dimensions9.3 × 6.2 × 1.5 in
Weight2 lb
Last updated 2026-03-14 23:40
$151.32
In stock soon — order now to reserve your copy
Delivery by Monday, September 7, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from Torts
See all
Blackstone's Statutes on Contract, Tort & Restitution (Thirty-Third)
Reading and interpreting primary legislation is an essential part of any law degree. Get a head start, and add depth to your understanding by using <em>Blackstone's Statutes</em> as a reference material throughout your course. <p/>Celebrating over 30 years as the market-leading series, <em>Blackstone's Statutes</em> have an unrivalled tradition of trust and quality. Our expert editors have carefully selected material to help you direct your study and gain an overview of the subject area. <p/><em>Blackstone's Statutes on Contract, Tort & Restitution</em> is edited and designed to help you succeed in your legal studies. <p/><em>Blackstone's Statutes on Contract, Tort & Restitution</em> is: <br>- First choice: most trusted and most popular<br>- Easy to use: find what you need instantly<br>- Lecturer reviewed: the best match for your course<br>- Most comprehensive: everything you need for study and assessments<br>- Unrivalled in reputation: expertly edited <p/><strong>Digital formats and resources</strong><br>This edition is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats, and is supported by online resources. <p/>The <strong>e-book </strong>offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features, and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks <p/>The <strong>online resources</strong> include video guides to reading and interpreting statutes, web links, exam tips, and an interactive sample Act of Parliament.
$23.40