During the last months you embarked on a journey through the depths of psychology influencing the legal sector. You realized the huge influence the anchoring effect has on negotiations. Judges tend to follow inferences drawn from previous cases and for a defendant, the time of the day has greater influence on the judgement he receives than we ever expected. You read about the effects of the confirmation bias blurring the view of police officers and state’s attorneys. And there are a lot more articles to discover.

I am often asked about my opinion on Neurolaw. Of course, I then explain that my focus is centered on cognitive dynamics rather than neuroscience. However, the influence of neuroscience on legal questions is increasing while rationality is growing among legal professionals. The brain contains a lot of relevant factors crucial for the rational professional – including the truth, the holy grail of criminal law. But the mind also protects information on economic and emotional goals from the other party being negotiated with. If we could read all this data would this strengthen or weaken our legal system?

Such questions are frequently debated among jurists all over the world. As the only and leading platform for legal rationalists we want to give our readers reasonable insight into these matters. In the following, we will show how changes within the brain can force a person into committing crimes and how the healing of these conditions turns them back to become ‘good citizens’. Secondly, we will discuss if and how fMRI can become a reliable lie detector. In the third publication, the social brain is briefly explained to you. The fourth and last publication will be presented to you by our newest scientific adviser, who himself is a neuroscientist.

Neurolaw is as fascinating as it is unexplored – at this time – but it is a promising field. We invite you onto this journey towards neurons, brain systems, diseases and high tech. Join us during the coming weeks and enjoy the Rational Think Tank’s Neurolaw November!

PHILIP HATTEMER