For Patterson, a proposition of law is true when the reasons advanced in support of the proposition are such as to invite the assent of competent professionals. Consistent with this, Patterson denies that doing law correctly is a matter of correct "interpretation" because this would account for the truth of propositions of law by reference to something outside the legal discourse.

DEFINE: Patterson's pragmatic conception of legal truth: a proposition is true when competent professionals assent to its supporting reasons, rejecting truth-by-interpretation that points outside legal discourse.

Philip Chase Bobbitt, Philip Chase Bobbitt - Refl…, loc. 387