Legal Causal Reasoning. Cause-effect Analysis using a Neutrosophic Environment

Abstract

Causal reasoning is implicit in all areas of human life, which is why it is strongly applied within the legal framework. This is valid in both criminal and civil proceedings. For the construction of legal causal models, moral reasoning and understanding of the subject are required. It is a process that implies subjectivity and neutrality. Therefore, it is intended to illustrate the usefulness of causal analysis techniques for decision-making in the dynamics of legal reasoning in a neutrosophic environment given the subjectivity of the process. For that purpose, the methods applicable to this research will be enunciated and will be illustrated in a case study. With the use of the Ishikawa Diagram, Pareto analysis, and Neutrosophic Cognitive Maps, we were able to establish the cause-effect tree as well as the main conclusions concerning legal causal reasoning applied to the increment of traffic accidents in Ecuador.