January 13, 2016
Rationalism, Pluralism, Freedom and Democracy
The idea at core of Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom reminds me of a memorable hook from a particularly catchy song. Once you’re exposed to it, it’s in your head: the…
January 13, 2016
Jacob Levy as an Historian of Political Thought
But what is it for? Historians of political thought are often confronted with this question, perhaps more often than we would like. It’s also a harder question to answer than…
January 12, 2016
Assessing the Freedom Of, and the Freedom From, Cities
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] Jacob Levy’s Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom is a superb work of political theory and intellectual history. It introduces, in clear and compelling language, a new…
January 11, 2016
Rationalism, Pluralism, and Federalism
“Federalism” is not in the title of Jacob’s book, but to an American constitutional lawyer it is one of the two most obvious sites of the tension that he discusses….
January 11, 2016
Symposium on Jacob Levy’s Rationalism, Pluralism and Freedom
What should liberals think about so-called “intermediary” groups like churches, the Boy Scouts, and universities? On the one hand, such groups can help to protect individual liberty by serving as a…
January 08, 2016
A Celebration of Lysander Spooner
I’ve got a new essay up at Libertarianism.Org celebrating Lysander Spooner as a kind of early Bleeding Heart Libertarian. In it, I talk about a number of arguments and episodes…