Search

An essay is presented which reviews the book "Religion Without God" by the late legal philosopher and author Ronald Dworkin, focusing on Dworkin's views about values and religious experience. The relationship between law and religion is mentioned, along with American jurisprudence and Islamic law. A series of lectures that Dworkin delivered at the University of Bern in 2011 are assessed, as well as religious faith and the U.S. Constitution’s Freedom of Religion Clause.

The article presents the author's views on laws prohibiting group defamation which is regarded as hate speech. He argues that several law professors including Ronald Dworkin believe prohibiting hate speech might bring loss to the democratic legitimacy of other laws. He states several aspects of hate speech, regulations controlling hate speeches for the protection of each member of the society, and criticisms of his favoring the laws and legislation against the group defamation.

The article discusses Ronald Dworkin's lifeboat examples on his argument in the fairness of majority-decision voting in his book "Justice for Hedgehogs." One version of the lifeboat example is choosing the least popular passenger to be drowned to save the rest, instead of drawing lots. The other version shows the unfair inclusion of personal attachments and antagonisms in the selection process.

Corrects a serious misinterpretation of the views of theorist Ronald Dworkin on the subject of individual rights in an article by Richard Pildes which was published in `The Journal of Legal Studies.' Basis of Dworkin's theory of rights; Alternative view of rights; Possible sources of disagreement between Pildes and Dworkin.