A History of Alternative Dispute Resolution
The Story of a Political, Social, and Cultural Movement
Chapter One
The Roots of ADR
The Deciding Stone to the
European Law Merchant
Two men glare at each other. Long-haired and bearded, their fur garments
oily from use, they hold gnarled clubs loosely at their sides. Emotions have
been building since the rainy season started and the river overflowed.
Who will be forced to brave the swollen river to hunt, and who will hunt
near their village? Today it will be decided. With war cries, the disputants
raise their clubs and begin to circle. Suddenly an old man appears, shouting:
"Behold, the Deciding Stone!" The two men stop in midstride. The
old man says, "Ush, the smooth side is yours; Ore, the rough side is
yours." The pair hesitate, looking angrily at each other and at the old
man, and finally they nod in agreement. With all his might, the old man
throws the stone into the air. Their heads turn to the sky as they watch
the stone turn over and over.
This imagined story of prehistoric times illustrates that while
humans have always had the te ... read full excerpt from A History of Alternative Dispute Resolution: The Story of a Political, Social, and Cultural Movement ebook
