let me give you the first example the
invitation to dinner I'm the professor
as you know and Portia is this very nice
person who was my student she just
graduated last year and she's got a job
in a big fancy law firm it turns out
that Vincent the managing partner in the
law firm the person on whom her career
depends has been my student too many
years ago in casual conversation
Vincent mentioned to Portia that he
would like very much to be back in touch
with me so Portia thinks wouldn't it be
nice she's a very good cook if she and
her husband invited Vincent and me to
dinner she would cook a wonderful dinner
and I would have a wonderful dinner to
eat and a good time would be had by all
and this would have a very good effect
on her career and her standing in the
firm all of us are very busy but we've
end up finding an evening that works for
Vincent for Portia and her husband and
for me so there we go
she spends a lot of time spends a lot of
money buying the food and the wine and
is going to be marvelous and you know
what happens
I just don't show up it is not even that
I forgot something came up and I figured
oh well what do I care I would really
rather go to the movies with my friend
and I just don't show up what's worse I
don't even call and instead of a good
time being had by all really bad time
was had the dinner was spoiled because
Portia tried to keep it warm hoping that
I would show up Vincent was annoyed and
all together what could have been a nice
occasion leaving good feeling all around
was a really awful occasion well I made
a promise
that I would show up for dinner it was
even a kind of bargain I would show up
and she would cook dinner he's a little
bit like the restaurant example but is
that a promise that the government
should stand by she is really really
angry and she decides she's going to sue
me and you know what Portia is going to
lose why is she gonna lose Portia is
going to lose because an invitation to
dinner is the kind of informal friendly
occasion that I kind of informal
friendly interchange that nobody expects
is going to end up in court no matter
what happens it just isn't the kind of
thing which people think is going to
create legal relations it certainly
creates a moral relation and I have
bathed miserably so this is the first
principle that we can apply to a given
case we can ask if the parties intended
to create legal relations sure it is
true that the invitation to dinner
created expectations but it is not
something that anybody thinks should end
up in court why not can you think of
other situations and relations where
people make promises to each other but
don't expect to end up in court about
them
you