Justin Ooms

Studying history at Calvin taught me to appreciate the distinction between “history” and “the past.” Learning how to “do” history, like learning a foreign language, introduces us to “foreign” ways of thinking and reveals that some things we accept as “simple reality” are in fact contingent assumptions based in our time and our place. This can cultivate both wisdom and humility.

In law school, many of my classmates were frustrated by the absence of clear, final answers. Yet legal practice often requires making arguments and offering counsel amid ambiguity. Making compelling arguments certainly matters in law practice, but being able to step back and see the assumptions behind those arguments matters even more. Providing a client with quick and confident but mistaken answers is much less helpful than being able to admit uncertainty, present multiple alternatives, and assess their relative strength. Thinking historically helps avoid the rush to judgment. This is particularly valuable in my energy regulatory practice, where new legislation, technologies, policy goals, and entire use cases (e.g., AI data centers) constantly introduce new questions and uncertainties.