Law in Contemporary Society

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OurOwnMyths 7 - 12 Feb 2009 - Main.AndrewCase
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Those of us who stay for Torts with Professor Rapaczynski immediately after Prof. Moglen’s class were yesterday treated to apparently diametrically opposed visions of freedom and autonomy. After Moglen’s passionate lecture on the libertarian impulse’s responsibility for the national predicament, we were treated to a reasoned and logical explanation as to why, in order to promote freedom and autonomy, we must not punish someone who shrugs his shoulders while watching a child drown at his feet.
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 Andrew: If, as you suggested, it's in the nature of states (or could we say, on a more general level, "official" power structures?) to oppress, then maybe we know we're on the right track if our own myths stand in opposition to "official" myths, or at least address some of the ways they fail on their own terms? That would mean remaining the perpetual underdog, which probably gets depressing, but it might also be a way to keep ourselves honest. Maybe myths become dangerous when they move from pointing out sources of injustice to justifying injustices of their own (as with Robespierre, or libertarianism)?

-- MichaelHolloway - 12 Feb 2009

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Michael -- I agree on the last point. I'm not sure whether remaining the perpetual underdog would be depressing unless we choose to let it be. The 'official' myths started somewhere, they were invented by someone, and they then developed into official myths somehow -- that may not be an idea of Arnold's, but it seems to be something that can be done with his analysis.

-- AndrewCase - 12 Feb 2009

 
 
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Revision 7r7 - 12 Feb 2009 - 22:36:58 - AndrewCase
Revision 6r6 - 12 Feb 2009 - 20:45:43 - MichaelHolloway
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