Ratio Decidendi and Obiter Dictum

Definitions within legal fields have always been subject to significant debate, with some recurring more often than others. Every now and then, a perspective arises which transforms the orthodoxy. As such is the case with the notion of precedent. Outlining its contours establishes a continuity between disparate and temporally distinct traditions. It requires theoretical-philosophical speculation, historical-comparative sense, and attention to the particularities of Brazilian Law.