Professor Lund takes Mr. Newton to School

Professor Thomas Lund commanded his classroom from the very first moment he appeared. As law students we sat assembled in the tiered lecture hall waiting for class to begin. At the appointed hour, Professor Lund walked into the room, set his bag and textbook beside the lectern and instead of standing behind the lectern, he raised his right leg and rested it on the table. Slowly and methodically he allowed his piercing blue eyes to survey the classroom seeking his first victim. We felt the tension in the room mount as we waited.

Professor Lund excelled at demonstrating that a primary purpose of law school was to learn how to demand a continual search for a deeper truth.  To this end he artfully employed the Socratic method. This method requires a dialectic exchange of information premised on the understanding that whatever we believe now and know to be true can be improved, and that we are capable of finding a better truth through thoughtful questions and deliberations that reveal previously unrecognized contradictions.

A simple example I learned from Professor Lund -- who after my graduation asked that I call him Tom, which I will not -- stems from the following question:

If Frank punches Tim in the nose is Frank responsible for Tim's damages? Almost everyone will answer yes. It seems an obvious question. Using the Socratic method Professor Lund would then ask, Well what if Billy pushed Frank causing him to flail his arms for balance resulting in the punch in the nose? Or, What if they were on a subway train that suddenly stopped? Or, what if they were engaged in a boxing match, a hockey game, or a basketball game? Suddenly the discourse between professor and students reveals that the simple truth we believed we previously held contained subtleties and richness that we seldom perceive.

During my law school experience I enjoyed being the target of many of the questions raised by Professor Lund and frequently served as his guinea pig to open up new concepts. On one such occasion I was invited to expound on a topic that today, I do not recall. Nevertheless it remains a favorite moment in my law school learning. Normally Professor Lund would limit comments to no more than one minute, maybe two. On this occasion he permitted me to use about five minutes of class time. He then put up his hand indicating that I should stop. He then bowed his head and pondered for a moment.

Raising his head and surveying the class he began, "Mr. Newton, in all of my years of teaching, and in all of the experience I have had, I have never heard a more thoughtful response, more clearly articulated and more rationally based than the response that you just gave. I think we should all pause and reflect on the magnitude of this moment." And then after a pause, as any good Professor should do, he added, "Unfortunately, it was completely wrong."

How about them apples?