“It frequently occurs, in fact, that orators in a law court have greater difficulty with a case which is based on truth, but does not seem so, than with a case that is false but plausible” (Vico 13). Do you agree with this statement? Can you think of any real life examples to discuss?

If a case is based on truth but that truth is hard to defend it is easier to defend a lie that looks truthful.  I hope I am interpreting this correctly.  What Vico explains is that a case which is based on truth but has very little eveidence is hard to defend.  Yet, if a case is based on a lie but people can believe in the lie or can be persuaded to agree with it, then the case based on a lie is a better case.  I agree with Vico’s statement because you see lawyers frequently take cases that are dishonorable but they can win them.  On the other hand cases where the victim has truth and jstice behind them does not usually mean the case will go to court if there is no evidence to support the truth.

One example I can think of that I watched last night was Law Abiding Citizen with Gerarld Butler and Jaime Foxx.  If you have not seen this movie I will not spoil it for you, but the movies themes are based loosely on what Vico assumes about the law.Law Abiding Citizen this link goes to the trailer so you can see how the main character has been abused by a system that supports murders.  The movies main character wants to punish a system of law that sided with a murderer because the truth had no evidence to support it.  The main character punishes all the other characters involved proving that truth does not run the legal system.

It’s kinda cool how I just watched a movie that looks at a Vico theme.  Vico wanted the law to focus on truth and build a case around a main heart or “middle term”  which the whole case is based on.  If you are a lawyer it is much easier to go for an easier kill then to find evidence and support for a case with little backbone.  A true orator would be able to find truth and evidence to back it.  A lawyer who goes for easier cases must be a weak speaker.