Why I Love Dick Epstein

Dick Epstein taught the second half of my Property class today. Now, I'm not a big Epstein fan. I saw him speak a few times last year, and I disagree with him on a pretty fundamental level. He's arrogant, too; last year, a student-edited journal at NYU invited him to give the inaugural Hayek Lecture (Friedrich Hayek was a famous Austrian economist). Epstein's introduction to the lecture was: "I had to stop by your Dean's office earlier this afternoon because I forgot what I was supposed to talk to you about."

Epstein is somewhat of an intellectual bully in the classroom; his "Socratic" questions are ridiculously close-ended--more like a lecture than a dialogue--leaving students little room to question his arguments. Yet there are a few things I really admire about him.

Dick Epstein is one of only two people I know who can speak at full speed while maintaining the logical density and continuity of a scholarly book or article. His mind runs in a gear that very few people have. It's no wonder he's such a prolific writer; his ideas come out fully formed and polished.

Epstein always keeps one eye on the big picture when he analyzes legal rules. He follows consequences through several waves, asking whether the result is sustainable and efficient. In a related vein, he's got a sharp eye for nuance. He's got well thought-out arguments for why rules for hunting whales should be different from rules for hunting foxes.