Author Archives: F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Before we resume my survey of the paradox of politics, let’s recap three major motifs in Rousseau’s Second Discourse, themes that still resonate with many people, especially progressives, today: In short, where James Madison, John Stuart Mill, and Alexis de … Continue reading →

In honor of Paul Walker, who died on this day (30 Nov.) in 2013.

In addition to my regular batch of scholarly papers, sundry blog posts, and podcast trancripts, two of my book-length readings are Viking-themed, part of an independent research project for a seminar on “Vikings and Warlords” at Rollins College:

I now want to conclude my thoughts on the rule of law by presenting my preferred definition of this fundamental concept. For me, rule of law is an aspiration or ideal: no one — no matter how powerful or rich … Continue reading →

Happy Thanksgiving! In my previous post, I described one possible meaning or conception of the phrase “rule of law” — the rule of law as a law of rules. On this view, the content of the ‘law’ must be clear … Continue reading →

My next rule-of-law puzzle is definitional: what do we mean by the “rule of law” anyways? In the Anglo-American world, this ideal can be traced as far back to Henry de Bracton’s medieval treatise De legibus et consuetudinibus Angliae (“On … Continue reading →

I will resume (and conclude) my series on Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the paradox of politics next week. In the meantime, I want to share some thoughts on the rule of law. In my recent talk on Friday, 21 November, at … Continue reading →

Last week (see here), we saw how a young Adam Smith singled out and transcribed three lengthy philosophical fragments from Rousseau’s famed Second Discourse in his (Smith’s) 1756 letter to the Edinburgh Review, and we then took a closer look … Continue reading →

On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog; and nobody knows when you’re feeling under the weather either! But I am, so I will share my thoughts on the rule or law (see my previous post) and resume my series … Continue reading →