Interview of Dr. Sasha Volokh on Taking Stock of Tort Law: Philosophy in Action Podcast of 7 November 2012

I interviewed Dr. Sasha Volokh on "Taking Stock of Tort Law" on 7 November 2012. Listen to or download this episode of Philosophy in Action Radio below.

What is tort law? What are its basic principles? What are some of the most interesting debates in tort law? Do some torts conflict with freedom of speech? What, if any, proposals for tort reform are worthy of support? In this interview, law professor Sasha Volokh discussed the nature, value, and limitations of tort law.

Alexander "Sasha" Volokh is an assistant professor of law at Emory Law School. He was born in Kiev and emigrated from the Soviet Union with his family in 1975. He graduated from UCLA with degrees in mathematics/economics and English/world literature and from Harvard with a J.D. (law) and a Ph.D. in economics. He clerked for Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit and for Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Samuel Alito. He has also worked at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in D.C. and at the Reason Public Policy Institute. He teaches Torts, Administrative Law, Law and Economics, Privatization, and other courses.

Tags: Defamation, History, Law, Rights, Torts

Listen or Download

Duration: 1:08:11
Download: MP3 File (15.6 MB)

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About the Podcast

The topics covered in this episode were:

What tort law is, compared with criminal, contract, and property law
Intentional versus accidental torts
Crimes and torts
The negligence standard versus strict liability in torts
Standards for torts in American history
Good Samaritan laws and torts: affirmative duties
Special cases of duties to rescue
Free speech and torts: defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress
Proposals for tort reform
Torts and legal precedents in property law
Law and philosophy

Relevant Links

Doing Their Duty: An Empirical Analysis of the Unintended Effect of Tarasoff v Regents on Homicidal Activity by Griffin Sims Edwards

Comments

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I'm Dr. Diana Brickell (formerly Diana Hsieh). I'm a philosopher, and I've long specialized in the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I completed my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. I retired from work as a public intellectual in 2015.

From September 2009 to September 2015, I produced a radio show and podcast, Philosophy in Action Radio. In the primary show, my co-host Greg Perkins and I answered questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life. We broadcast live over the internet on Sunday mornings.

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My first book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, can be purchased in paperback and Kindle. The book defends the justice of moral praise and blame of persons using an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility, thereby refuting Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck." My second book (and online course), Explore Atlas Shrugged, is a fantastic resource for anyone wishing to study Ayn Rand's epic novel in depth.

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