2 Comments

Sally Rogers
February 11th, 2013 | 10:12 am

John Breen is exactly correct about the obstacles to pro-life scholarship in the legal academy. Even when one has acquired tenure, the cost of writing against abortion is high – it closes doors that would otherwise be open, and even if one does write on the subject the publications that will accept such articles are far down the list of desirable placements. The result is a ridiculously skewed pro-choice environment in law schools that is far removed from the understanding of most Americans.

nobody.really
February 11th, 2013 | 10:23 am

In “Two Cheers for Javert,” author James K.A Smith reflects on Les Miserables. Because the villain Javert fails to distinguish between just and unjust laws, the story is sometimes understood as a Christian allegory of Sin, Mercy, and Redemption. But because law enforcement is depicted as the villain, the story can also be seen (wrongly) as a libertarian allegory condemning law in general.

Let me suggest another story that some regard as a Christian allegory, but that seems to lend itself to libertarian allegory: Lord of the Rings. This is, after all, a story about people who hold the key to great power, and their struggle in deciding whether to try to wield that power for good (as they see it), or to destroy that power. Characteristic of libertarian thought, the destruction of central power frees people to revert to a more natural state, and this natural state is basically benign. Yes, there’s some discussion about the Scouring of the Shire, in which local forces drive out a local tyrant. But there’s never any suggestion that there may be local tyrants that cannot be displaced except through the effort of a larger (centralized) force. In short, there’s no acknowledgement of the idea that a benign state of affairs arises not from nature, but from purposeful intervention in nature.