Learning From Larry
Learning From Larry
Pragmatism and the Habits of Legal Space
This chapter draws on American pragmatism, particularly John Dewey's work on habit, to present a careful legal geography of everyday, lived spaces and their effects on action and behavior. The chapter suggests that the concept of habit may be useful in its refusal of dualistic thinking, its emphasis on transaction and event, and its resistance to “law” and “space” as abstractions. A pragmatic emphasis on habit, conversely, redirects the attention to practices and action, opening the door to more processual and temporal legal geographies. The chapter finally argues that legal geographers should embrace pragmatism more generally, as it is helpful in encouraging us to be cautious of metaphysical thinking in relation to concepts such as power, society, and law.
Keywords: custom, democracy, Dewey, dualism, embodiment, habit, law, power, pragmatism, property
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