About the book
Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law discusses legal, political, and cultural difficulties that arise from the crisis of authority in the modern world.
Is there any connection linking some of the maladies of modern life—“cancel culture,” the climate of mendacity in public and academic life, fierce conflicts over the Constitution, disputes over presidential authority? Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law argues that these diverse problems are all a consequence of what Hannah Arendt described as the disappearance of authority in the modern world. In this perceptive study, Steven D. Smith offers a diagnosis explaining how authority today is based in pervasive fictions and how this situation can amount to, as Arendt put it, “the loss of the groundwork of the world.”
Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law considers a variety of problems posed by the paradoxical ubiquity and absence of authority in the modern world. Some of these problems are jurisprudential or philosophical in character; others are more practical and lawyerly—problems of presidential powers and statutory and constitutional interpretation; still others might be called existential. Smith’s use of fictions as his purchase for thinking about authority has the potential to bring together the descriptive and the normative and to think about authority as a useful hypothesis that helps us to make sense of the empirical world. This strikingly original book shows that theoretical issues of authority have important practical implications for the kinds of everyday issues confronted by judges, lawyers, and other members of society.
Editions of Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law
- Hardcover
- ISBN 2021942320
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780268201203
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780268201210
- EBook
- ISBN 9780268201197
- EBook
- ISBN 9780268201265
Read an Excerpt
Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law discusses legal, political, and cultural difficulties that arise from the crisis of authority in the modern world.
Is there any connection linking some of the maladies of modern life—“cancel culture,” the climate of mendacity in public and academic life, fierce conflicts over the Constitution, disputes over presidential authority? Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law argues that these diverse problems are all a consequence of what Hannah Arendt described as the disappearance of authority in the modern world. In this perceptive study, Steven D. Smith offers a diagnosis explaining how authority today is based in pervasive fictions and how this situation can amount to, as Arendt put it, “the loss of the groundwork of the world.”
Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law considers a variety of problems posed by the paradoxical ubiquity and absence of authority in the modern world. Some of these problems are jurisprudential or philosophical in character; others are more practical and lawyerly—problems of presidential powers and statutory and constitutional interpretation; still others might be called existential. Smith’s use of fictions as his purchase for thinking about authority has the potential to bring together the descriptive and the normative and to think about authority as a useful hypothesis that helps us to make sense of the empirical world. This strikingly original book shows that theoretical issues of authority have important practical implications for the kinds of everyday issues confronted by judges, lawyers, and other members of society.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law about?
Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law discusses legal, political, and cultural difficulties that arise from the crisis of authority in the modern world.
Is there any connection linking some of the maladies of modern life—“cancel culture,” the climate of mendacity in public and academic life, fierce conflicts over the Constitution, disputes over presidential authority? Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law argues that these diverse problems are all a consequence of what Hannah Arendt described as the disappearance of authority in the modern world. In this perceptive study, Steven D. Smith offers a diagnosis explaining how authority today is based in pervasive fictions and how this situation can amount to, as Arendt put it, “the loss of the groundwork of the world.”
Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law considers a variety of problems posed by the paradoxical ubiquity and absence of authority in the modern world. Some of these problems are jurisprudential or philosophical in character; others are more practical and lawyerly—problems of presidential powers and statutory and constitutional interpretation; still others might be called existential. Smith’s use of fictions as his purchase for thinking about authority has the potential to bring together the descriptive and the normative and to think about authority as a useful hypothesis that helps us to make sense of the empirical world. This strikingly original book shows that theoretical issues of authority have important practical implications for the kinds of everyday issues confronted by judges, lawyers, and other members of society.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law?
Society and Social Sciences > Politics and government > Political science and theory
Where can I read a sample of Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/2021942320
How long is Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law and how many pages does it have?
Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law has 290 page(s)
Is Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Catholic Ideas for a Secular World
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law?
Steven D. Smith
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law is available as hardcover(ISBN 2021942320) and hardcover(ISBN 9780268201203) and paperback(ISBN 9780268201210) and ebook(ISBN 9780268201197) and ebook(ISBN 9780268201265)
Where can I buy Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law from below
Where can I buy Fictions, Lies, and the Authority of Law?