A criminal trial is never about seeking justice for the victim. If it were, there could be only one verdict: guilty. Alan Dershowitz Read Quote
Scientists search for truth. Philosophers search for morality. A criminal trial searches for only one result: proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Alan Dershowitz Read Quote
On television and in the movies, crimes are always solved. Nothing is left uncertain. By the end, the viewer knows whodunit. In real life, on the other hand, many murders remain unsolved, and even some that are ‘solved’ to the satisfaction of the police and prosecutors lack sufficient evidence to result in a conviction. Alan Dershowitz Read Quote
A visit to Israel is always an experience in cognitive dissonance. The Israel you personally see and hear is so completely different from the Israel you read and hear about in the media. Alan Dershowitz Read Quote
The sad reality is that there are no purely domestic issues in Israel. Issues that would be dealt with by municipalities in other countries – such as how to deal with a dangerous bridge or how to resolve conflicts between religious and secular bus riders – become major international issues when they occur in Israel. Alan Dershowitz Read Quote
For most people, the question why be good – as distinguished from merely law abiding – is a simple one. Because God commands it, because the Bible requires it, because good people go to Heaven and bad people go to Hell. Alan Dershowitz Read Quote
I never place limits on the potential success of my students. If they’re going into acting, they’re going to win the Oscar… If they’re going into law, they’re going to be chief justice. Alan Dershowitz Read Quote
In the real world in which we live, you always have to choose between evils. And in choosing between evils, you have to have moral criteria for how to make those choices. Alan Dershowitz Read Quote
