Douglas Lind
Douglas Lind, Professor and Department Head
Department of Philosophy
229B Major Williams Hall
220 Stanger Street
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-0639 | douglas.lind@vt.edu
Douglas Lind’s research centers on the philosophy of law, legal reasoning, judicial decision-making and, secondarily, environmental ethics and law. He is heavily influenced by the later philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein and classical pragmatist philosophy.
Lind is currently developing a general pragmatist jurisprudence with particular emphasis on understanding the evolution of legal meaning, the creation of legal doctrines such as the tort maxim res ipsa loquitur, and the inventive phenomenon of legal fictions.
In addition to scholarly writing, Lind regularly offers seminars and workshops on logic, legal reasoning, and judicial method to judges and lawyers in the United States and abroad, especially Australia and New Zealand. Lind is also the founding director of the Tribal Law Exchange.
- Philosophy of Law
- Pragmatism
- Later Philosophy of Wittgenstein
- Indigenous Law
- Environmental Ethics & Law
- PhD, University of Pennsylvania
- JD, Washington University School of Law
- BA, University of Minnesota
- Department Head, Philosophy
- Director, Tribal Law Exchange
- Faculty Member, The National Judicial College
- Member, Missouri and Pennsylvania Bars
- Presenter, New Zealand Law Society
- Faculty Excellence Award for Outreach, University of Idaho, 2002
- Environmental Science Program Outstanding Faculty Award, University of Idaho, 1997
Books
Graham Hubbs and Douglas Lind, eds., Pragmatism, Law, and Language (Routledge, 2014)
Logic and Legal Reasoning (The National Judicial College Press, 2d ed., 2007)
Journal Articles
“The Execution of Ah Cho: Jack London’s Footnote to Justice Theory.” Australian Journal of Legal Philosophy. 2012. 37: 99-130.
“The Mismeasurement of Legal Pragmatism.” Washington University Jurisprudence Review. 2012. 4: 213-268.
“Pragmatism and Anthropomorphism: Reconceiving the Doctrine of the Personality of the Ship.” University of San Francisco Maritime Law Journal. 2010. 22: 39-121.
“Azdak, the Rascal Judge.” Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence. 2000. 12: 223-252.
Book Chapters
“Fact/Value Complexes in Law and Judicial Decision.” In Facts and Values: The Ethics and Metaphysics of Normativity. Giancarlo Marchetti and Sarin Marchetti eds. Routledge 2017.
“The Pragmatic Value of Legal Fictions.” In Legal Fictions in Theory and Practice. Maksymilian Del Mar and William Twining eds. Springer 2015.
“Constitutional Adjudication as a Craft-Bound Excellence.” In Wittgenstein and Law. Dennis Patterson ed. Ashgate 2004.
- “Professional Science Master’s” (co-PI; lead-PI Stephen Mulkey), National Science Foundation (NSF), $691,716 (2010).
- “Professional Ethics Initiative” (PI), University of Idaho President’s Office, $225,000 (2006).
- “Tribal Law Enhancement Project” (PI), National Science Foundation (NSF): Division of Computer-Communications Research, $411,446 (2003).
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