The essays in this volume are the result of a project on Values in Tort
Law directed by the Westminster Institute for Ethics and Human Values.
We are indebted to the Board of Westminster Col- lege for its financial
support. The project involved two meetings of a mixed group of lawyers
and philosophers to discuss drafts of papers and general issues in tort
law. Beyond the principal researchers, whose papers appear here, we are
grateful to John Bargo, Dick Bronaugh, Craig Brown, Earl Cherniak, Bruce
Feldthusen, Barry Hoffmaster and Steve Sharzer for their helpful
discussion, and to Nancy Margolis for copy editing. All of these papers
except one have appeared before in the journal Law and Philosophy (Vol.
1 No.3, December 1982 and Vol. 2 No.1, Apri11983). Chapman's paper which
was previously published in The University of Western Ontario Law Review
(Vol. 20 No.1, 1982) appears here with permission. Westminster Institute
for Ethics and Human Values, M.D.B. Westminster College, London, Canada
B.C. vii INTRODUCTION The law of torts is society's primary mechanism
for resolving disputes arising from personal injury and property damage.