Jan 19, 2026
the law is the act of predicting
Holmes’s “prediction theory” defines law as the practical prediction of what courts will do, especially from the standpoint of a “bad man” who cares about consequences rather than morals . That formul...
Holmes's Prediction Theory
Oliver Wendell Holmes's theory that law is a practical prediction of what courts will do, especially from the standpoint of a "bad man" who cares about consequences rather than morals.