John Reitz_How to Do Comparative Law

636

THE AMERICAN

JOURNAL

OF COMPARATIVE

LAW

[Vol. 46

parative

method:

(1)

the

tendency

to

push analytic

categories

to

higher

levels

of

abstraction

in order

to

bridge

differences

between

legal

systems,

and (2) the

tendency

to force the

researcher to expand

the

analysis

to include the

whole

legal

system

and

its relationship

with

the

rest

of human

culture and

its material

and

spiritual

context

in order to understand

the

differences

and

similarities

observed.

For

these

reasons,

comparative

law truly

holds

exciting

potential

to help

us better

understand

law

and legal

systems.