Scott Shapiro, Yale Law School: Realizing Leibniz’s Dream

This LogicLounge was held as part of the CAV2024 (the 36th International Conference on Computer Aided Verification) program in Montreal on July 25, 2024. Essentially, Shapiro explored how formal methods and LLMs can be utilized to realize Leibniz’s dream of automated legal reasoning.

Abstract: In the 17th Century, the philosopher, mathematician and lawyer Gottlieb Leibniz envisioned the creation of a characteristica universalis and calculus ratiocinator that would enable reasoning in law and morals as systematically as in geometry and analysis. His goal was to resolve legal disputes with the precision and clarity with which accountants settle financial discrepancies. “To take pen in hand, sit down at the abacus and, having called in a friend if they want, say to each other: Let us calculate!”

We are now, for the first time in history, positioned to realize Leibniz’s dream of automating legal reasoning. The crucial step in this process, I will argue, is the alignment of sophisticated computer science techniques with appropriate types of legal problems. Automating code-based legal reasoning, which relies on explicit statutes and regulations, differs fundamentally from automating case-based reasoning, which depends on precedents and interpretations. I will explore how formal methods and Large Language Models (LLMs) can be utilized to achieve what Leibniz envisioned three centuries ago, effectively transforming the landscape of legal reasoning through the power of modern computational technology.

More information: https://i-cav.org/2024/logic-lounge/