We streamed the discussion between Talis Colberg and Charles Hayes of Ronald Dworkin’s essay, “Justice for Hedgehogs” on Sunday, June 5 at 2 pm at Fireside Books. To quote from Fireside’s website:
“The fox knows many things, the Greeks said, but the hedgehog knows one big thing. In his most comprehensive work Ronald Dworkin argues that value in all its forms is one big thing: that what truth is, life means, morality requires, and justice demands are different aspects of the same large question. He develops original theories on a great variety of issues very rarely considered in the same book: moral skepticism, literary, artistic, and historical interpretation, free will, ancient moral theory, being good and living well, liberty, equality, and law among many other topics. What we think about any one of these must stand up, eventually, to any argument we find compelling about the rest.
Does a one-track mind get you there best?
We asked two of the Valley’s greatest minds to read Ronald Dworkin’s tightly woven book of legal philosophy called “Justice for Hedgehogs,” and discuss his ideas. Dworkin refers back to Isaiah Berlin’s famous essay, “the Fox and the Hedgehog.” The hedgehog pursues one thing with single-minded vigor. The fox is more adaptable, more likely to adapt his or her approach to circumstances. These insights have ramifications for how we perceive the world — whether it’s politics, justice, law, morality, or daily life. Are you more like a fox or a hedgehog — and does it make a difference?
Two scholars discuss the intersection between the law, morality, justice, and daily life.”
If you missed the livestream from Fireside Books listen to the recording of the complete discussion.
Justice for the Hedgehog
