ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the courtroom of the future should not begin operating as a virtual courtroom with litigants, judges and lawyers only communicating electronically until the communicative properties of the medium are further investigated. Religious, cultural and ethnic diversity, together with international, political, and economic integration, bring issues of tolerance and diversity to the forefront; and raise important questions for the semiotic analysis of law. Recent events have shown that tolerance and diversity remain under threat despite the best efforts of the international community, which has attempted, through European and international conventions, treaties and national statutes, to stem the march of intolerance. Experiencing diversity and tolerance in many countries shows a good map of historical differences and changes in fashion. It involves the rhetorical speculation, or sometimes rhetorical invention, that resembles more 'a doctrine akin to that of the 'free finding of law' and can lead to the creation of a new reality.
