Philosophy
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The American Regime and Its Moral Ground: Hadley Arkes at Real Clear Public Affairs
In an essay for the 1776 Series at Real Clear Public Affairs, JWI Founder and Director Hadley Arkes discusses the moral axioms that pre-existed the Constitution as understood by President Abraham Lincoln. Prof. Arkes retells Lincoln’s teaching that the Constitution was made for the Union, and not the Union for the Constitution, which shows the […] -
“Redeeming the Constitution” – Bradley Rebeiro ’17 at Anchoring Truths and Law & Liberty
JWI Fellowship alumnus and associate professor of law at BYU Law School Bradley Rebeiro responded to Professor David Forte’s “Originalism and its Discontents” at JWI’s online journal Anchoring Truths. In a symposium in collaboration with Law & Liberty, Rebeiro utilizes the case study of slavery “to reconsider how we understand this tension between originalism and […] -
PODCAST: Jesse Merriam and Josh Hammer on “An Even Better Originalism?”
Patrick Henry College Associate Professor Jesse Merriam and JWI affiliated scholar Josh Hammer joined JWI Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker to discuss Professor Merriam’s article, “A Better Legal Conservatism,” published in The American Mind. Prof. Merriam’s article was in response to “A Better Originalism,” co-authored by Prof. Hadley Arkes, Garrett Snedeker, Josh Hammer, and Matthew Peterson. […] -
Moral Truth and Constitutional Conservatism: Prof. Gerry Bradley in the Louisiana Law Review
JWI Trustee and Senior Scholar Gerry Bradley has written a “must-read” law review article that eloquently and forcefully argues for a jurisprudence of Natural Law as a corrective against the ills of progressive approaches to constitutional interpretation and positivist originalism. We share with you the full text of the article below, appearing in the Summer […] -
PODCAST: Sohrab Ahmari on “The Unbroken Thread,” Part 2
Author and New York Post opinion editor Sohrab Ahmari joined JWI Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker and intern Guy Denton for a two-part discussion of his new book, The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos. In Part 2, we continue our discussion of how tradition informs understandings of filial piety […] -
PODCAST: Sohrab Ahmari on “The Unbroken Thread,” Part 1
Author and New York Post opinion editor Sohrab Ahmari joined JWI Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker and intern Guy Denton for a two-part discussion of his new book, The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos. In Part I, we discuss Ahmari’s inspiration for writing the book, the failings of modernity […] -
“In Defense of ‘A Better Originalism'” – Prof. Hadley Arkes in Law & Liberty
In an essay for Law & Liberty, James Wilson Institute Founder and Director Prof. Hadley Arkes defends JWI’s recent call in The American Mind for judges to adopt an “originalism of moral substance” against criticism by John Grove. Prof. Arkes argues that Grove misconstrues the nature of moral truths and their role in adjudication, which […] -
“An Opportunity to Overturn Roe” – Gerry Bradley in First Things
In an essay for First Things, JWI Senior Scholar and Trustee Gerry Bradley explores the future of Roe v. Wade and the implications of Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s appointment to the Supreme Court for the pro-life movement. Recently, the Court refused to take action on the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, in which […] -
VIDEO: “A Better Originalism” Debate featuring JWI’s Garrett Snedeker and Prof. Ilan Wurman
JWI’s Garrett Snedeker and Prof. Ilan Wurman debated the merits of the statement Snedeker co-authored in March 2021, titled “A Better Originalism,” for the Scalia Law School Federalist Society Chapter. -
“Visit to a Familiar, Now Distant Place” – Prof. Hadley Arkes in The Catholic Thing
In his latest column for The Catholic Thing, JWI Founder and Director Prof. Hadley Arkes reflects on a speech that he recently delivered before the Catholic Boston College Republicans, who invited him to discuss Natural Law. He was pleased by the receptiveness of the students, but also found that some had accepted certain progressive doctrines. […]