This work investigates the core question of what constitutes the internal logic and normative structure of private law. Ernest J. Weinrib, a prominent legal scholar, argues that private law is a coherent system defined by the interaction of two parties in a relationship of corrective justice. He rejects instrumentalist interpretations, proposing instead that the law must be understood through its own formal principles rather than external social or economic goals.

Legal scholars frequently cite this text as a foundational defense of formalist jurisprudence in the modern era. Readers often note the high level of philosophical density and the rigorous logical structure required to follow the author's arguments.