Selected Titles on
Law and Political Theory
In the Whirlwind: God and Humanity in Conflict
God deserves obedience simply because he’s God—or does he? In this bold exploration—inspired by a passion for biblical as well as constitutional scholarship—Yale Law Professor Robert A. Burt conceptualizes the political theory of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. God’s authority as expressed in these accounts is not a given. It is no less inherently problematic and in need of justification than the legitimacy of secular government.
Against Obligation: The Multiple Sources of Authority in a Liberal Democracy
“In Against Obligation, Abner Greene upends conventional wisdom about several fundamental political questions. Why and when must people obey the law? What does religious freedom require in a liberal democratic state? Must judges and citizens respect historical views about constitutional meaning? Smart, ambitious, provocative, and original—this tightly argued and broad-ranging book compels readers to reexamine basic assumptions about political obligation, constitutional democracy, and religious freedom.”
—Christopher Eisgruber, Princeton University
Dignity: Its History and Meaning
“Michael Rosen takes us on an extraordinary journey through the tangled ethical, religious, and legal roots of the concept of dignity, showing its association with the distinct ideas of status, intrinsic value, bearing, and respect. This book is a one-off, exhibiting Rosen’s characteristic and unique blend of scholarly insight and analytic power, presented in superbly accessible style. It culminates in a persuasively authentic interpretation of Kant’s moral philosophy. Anyone wishing to understand the contemporary concept of dignity, or its history, must read this book.”
—Jonathan Wolff, University College London
The Harm in Hate Speech
Every liberal democracy has laws or codes against hate speech—except the United States. For constitutionalists, regulation of hate speech violates the First Amendment and damages a free society. Against this absolutist view, Jeremy Waldron argues powerfully that hate speech should be regulated as part of our commitment to human dignity and to inclusion and respect for members of vulnerable minorities.
The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History
“Samuel Moyn’s book is an erudite and impressive intellectual history, portraying the core principle of contemporary human rights—that individual rights transcend state sovereignty—as a strikingly recent invention. Moyn shows that this moral conception contradicts many of the ostensible roots from which conventional accounts see human rights growing… Moyn’s reassessment is groundbreaking and insightful.”
—Clifford Bob, American Historical Review
Living Originalism
“With this book Jack Balkin has produced what might be described as an owner’s manual for the Constitution, revealing with painstaking care the many ways in which it can be read and interpreted. Balkin deftly shows how we can move past arguments over ‘living’ versus ‘originalist’ constitutionalism, to arrive at the welcome place where Americans can own and redeem the Constitution for themselves.”
—Dahlia Lithwick, Slate
Justice for Hedgehogs
“In a sustained, profound, and richly textured argument that will, from now on, be essential to all debate on the matter, Ronald Dworkin makes the case for…the unity of value… We are in at the birth, here, of a modern philosophical classic, one of the essential works of contemporary thought. It is bound to be a major debate-changer, because even the many who will find much to disagree with—Dworkin, after all, disagrees with them in advance, and robustly—will not be able to ignore the challenges he poses. And out of the heat to come, much light will shine.”
—A.C. Grayling, The New York Review of Books
Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach
“Nussbaum looks at what it really means for a country to experience prosperity. Traditionally, a country’s economic well-being was measured by its gross domestic product. Nussbaum takes a more personal approach by focusing on how economic prosperity plays out in ordinary citizens’ lives… By demonstrating the philosophical underpinnings of this approach and how the theory plays out in the real world, Nussbaum makes a compelling case.”
—Carol J. Elsen, Library Journal
Common Sense: A Political History
“Rosenfeld seeks to explain how the ‘common sense’ of the people became a touchstone of political wisdom and a ubiquitous catch-phrase in political debate across the Western world… She has excavated the rhetoric of common sense from an impressive number of sites and has shaped this diverse evidence into a smart and plausible narrative. She writes with verve… Rosenfeld warns us that common sense is sometimes just an honorific that we bestow upon our prejudices.”
—Jeffrey Collins, The Wall Street Journal
The Idea of Justice
An Economist Best Book of 2009 • A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2009 • A New Statesman Top Ten Book of the Decade
“[A] majestic book… Reading The Idea of Justice is like attending a master class in practical reasoning. You can’t help noticing you are engaging with a great, deeply pluralistic, mind… This is a monumental work.”
—Ziauddin Sardar, The Independent
