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26 Seton Hall L. Rev. 1414 (1995-1996)
Book Review

handle is hein.journals/shlr26 and id is 1432 raw text is: BOOK REVIEW THE DECEPTIVE ALLURE OF SIMPLICITY RICHARD A. EPSTEIN, SIMPLE RULES FOR A COMPLEX WORLD, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (1995) (361 pages) ($35.00 cloth) Reviewed by CraigJ Albert* One advantage of having a simple world view is that it allows one to organize one's life into neat little compartments. It is not surprising, then, that many legal scholars seek simple organizing principles by which to analyze complicated legal issues. Simple ex- planations are inherently satisfying, and scientists dub the most beautiful and simple of them elegant. In a broad sense, the drive for simplicity has been the motivating force behind the major movements in legal scholarship of this century, beginning with Legal Realism. It is natural and understandable to long for the good old days. It is fair to say, then, that Richard Epstein's Simple Rules for a Complex World treads old ground in its effort to reduce law to some small, easily understood group of rules against which to measure behavior. This is both a blessing and a bane. As a framework against which to analyze discrete problems, his approach is a valua- ble one, couched as it is in classical microeconomic theory presented in a nontechnical narrative. But untested and unques- tioned in this approach is the wealth of unrealistic assumptions which underlie the classical approach. What we get is a series of thought experiments, applied to a few discrete areas of law which are anathema to Epstein (such as regulatory takings, fiduciary obli- gations within the corporation, and antidiscrimination laws, to name a few), which make sense as intermediate microeconomic theory exam questions, but have little applicability to the world in which we live. Thus, while Epstein's arguments are provocative starting points for discussion, they are unlikely to win over any converts. We live in an economist's second-best world. It is second-best * Associate Professor of Law, Seton Hall University School of Law. J.D., Ge- orgetown University Law Center; M.Phil., MA. Yale University; S.B. Massachusetts In- stitute of Technology. Thanks to Michael Zimmer, Ahmed Bulbulia, Michael Meurer, Simon Evenett, and Adrienne B. Koch for helpful comments. 1414

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