New Book "Dignity in the Legal and Political Philosophy of Ronald Dworkin"

Dignity in the Legal and Political Philosophy of Ronald Dworkin

edited by Salman Khurshid, Lokendra Malik, and Veronica Rodriguez-Blanco, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2018, 511 pages, hardback, ISBN: 9780199484171.

About the Book: Well-known for his contribution to the juristic world, Professor Ronald Dworkin was an outstanding legal philosopher of his generation. This volume celebrates the thoughts of Ronald Dworkin on dignity. The contributors have critically engaged with different perspectives of Dworkin's thoughts on dignity. The aim is to shed light on juridical and moral contemporary conundrums such as the role of dignity in constitutional contexts in India, and the understanding of dignity as either a foundation of human rights or as a supra value that illuminates other values and rights.

The volume is divided into four parts. The first part 'Integrity, Values, Interpretation, and Objectivity' focuses on Dworkin's interpretive methodology and examines the way his value holism relies on his interpretative methodology. The second part 'Dignity, Responsibility, and Free Will' concentrates on elucidating the complex relationship between dignity, human will, and responsibility in Dworkin's moral, legal, and political philosophy. In the third part 'Freedom of Speech, Right to Privacy, and Rights', the authors use Dworkin's philosophical moral framework and the interpretative methodology to shed light on his own views on freedom of speech and the language of rights, including human rights. The fourth part 'Dignity, Constitutions, and Legal Systems' critically discusses Dworkin's interpretative methodology to understand dignity in the context of constitutions, state, and law beyond the state. With contributions from eminent scholars across the world, the present volume will help in disseminating Dworkin's rich jurisprudential thoughts.

Table of Contents

Foreword | John Finnis

Introduction | Veronica Rodriguez-Blanco

Part I Integrity, Values, Interpretation, and Objectivity 

Ronald Dworkin: Life and Works | Lokendra Malik

Integrity and Truth in Law's Empire | Jonathan Crowe

Dworkin's Perfectionism | James E. Fleming and Linda C. McClain

Interpretation in Normative Domains | Alexander Brown

Justice, Integrity, and the Common Law | Trevor R.S. Allan

Taking (Human) Dignity and Rights Seriously: The Integrated Legal, Moral, and Political Philosophy of Ronald Dworkin | Imer Flores

Are There Any Interpretative Concepts? | Pritam Baruah 

Part II Dignity, Responsibility, and Free Will 

Interpreting Human Dignity | Allen W. Wood

Dworkin's Dignity Under the Lens of the Magician of Könisberg | Veronica Rodriguez-Blanco

Does Dignity Help in Thinking about Paternalism | Barbara Baum Levenbook

Dignity, Rights, and Virtues in the Department of Values | Isabel Trujillo 

Part III Freedom of Speech, Right to Privacy, and Human Rights 

Dignity and Free Speech | David Richards

Ronald Dworkin and Free Speech | James Allan

Exit Hercules: Ronald Dworkin and the Crisis of the Age of Rights | Lorenzo Zucca 

Part IV Dignity, Constitutions, and Legal Systems 

Revamping Associative Obligations | George Pavlakos

Dworkinian Dignity: Rights and Responsibilities of a Life Well Lived | Erin Daly

Ronald Dworkin's Judge: Philosopher Master of Rights | Salman Khurshid

A Dworkinian Reading of the Indian Constitution | Suhrith Parthasarathy

A Dworkinian Right to Privacy in New Zealand | Mark Bennett and Petra Butler 

Afterword | Justice A.K. Sikri

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