The Impact of the Law

Coeditor, The Impact of the Law on Character Formation, Ethical Education, and the Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2022) (with Michael Welker, Jürgen von Hagen and Stephen Pickard)

​Volume 3 of a 10 volume series on Character Formation, Ethical Education, and the Communication of Values in Late Modern Pluralistic Societies.
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Project Series Description (Canopy Forum article)
 
List of Series Volumes Reprinted
Description

This volume addresses whether, how, and where laws (variously defined) teach values and shape moral character in late modern liberal societies. Each author recognizes the essential value of state law in fostering peace, security, health, education, charity, trade, democracy, constitutionalism, justice, and human rights, among many other moral goods. Each author also recognizes, however, the grave betrayals of law in supporting fascism, slavery, apartheid, genocide, persecution, violence, racism, and other forms of immorality and injustice. They thus call for state laws that set a basic civil morality of duty for society and for robust freedoms that protect private individuals and private groups to cultivate a higher morality of aspiration.

With contributions by Rüdiger Bittner, Brian Bix, Frank Brennan, Allen Calhoun, Robert F. Cochran, Jr., Kenneth John Crispin, Jean Bethke Elshtain, E. Allan Farnsworth, James E. Fleming, M. Cathleen Kaveny, Ute Mager, Linda C. McClain, Reid Mortensen, Patrick Parkinson, Thomas Pfeiffer, Robert Vosloo, Michael Welker, and John Witte, Jr.
Table of Contents

  • Acknowledgments 
  • Preface to the Series 
  • Introduction to the Present Volume – John Witte, Jr. 

Part One: Does Law Teach Values and Virtues? 
  • Law, Morality, and the Fragility of the Western Legal Tradition – Patrick Parkinson
  • Law’s Pedagogy in a Pluralistic Society: Challenges and Opportunities​ – Cathleen Kaveny
  • The Effects of (Family) Law: Frameworks, Practical Reasoning, Social Norms, and Slippage – Brian H. Bix
  • “There Oughta Be a Law about This”– Not Necessarily! The Limits of Law as a Teacher of Values and Virtues – Jean Bethke Elshtain 
  • The Law as Educator? – Rüdiger Bittner 

Part Two: How Does Law Teach Values? Public, Private, and Penal Law Examples
  • Are Constitutional Courts Civic Educative Institutions? If So, What Do They Teach? – E. Fleming
  • Bigotry, Civility, and Reinvigorating Civic Education: Government’s Formative Task Amidst Polarization – Linda C. McClain
  • An Australian Case Study on Law and Values: Debating a Bill of Rights – Frank Brennan 
  • The German Constitution as Value System – Ute Mager
  • Parables About Promises: Religious Ethics and Contract Enforceability – E. Allan Farnsworth
  • The Law of Contracts and Ethics: Interrelation in Spite of Separation – Thomas Pfeiffer
  • “The True Freedom of the Christian Spirit”: Martin Luther’s Vision of Redistributive Taxation – Allen Calhoun
  • ​Teaching Sexual Morality in Church and State Historically and Today – John Witte, Jr.

Part Three: Where Does Law Teach Values: Views from the Bench, Bar, Academy, and Conscience?
  • ​The Clergy of Liberalism: Lawyers’ Character, Virtue and Moral Education in Pluralized Societies – Reid Mortensen 
  • Legal Representation and the Character Formation of Lawyers and Clients – Robert F. Cochran Jr. 
  • Law, Conscience, and Character Formation: A South African Case Study in Ricoeurian Perspective – Robert Vosloo 
  • Law, Values, and Moral Influence – Kenneth John Crispin, QC​
 
  • Contributors