The Permanent Things and the Rational Order

About the book

What gives constitutional government its moral foundation? The Permanent Things and the Rational Order examines that question through natural-law traditions and Anglo-American and Continental constitutional thought.

Wright argues that legal institutions rely on commitments that enacted rules alone cannot justify. The book connects this position to limited government, individual liberty and the judgment required to address contemporary constitutional questions.

Themes to explore

• Natural law: the principles invoked to evaluate legal and political authority.
• Constitutional order: the relationship between inherited foundations and formal institutions.
• Liberty and limitation: how a moral account of government bears on the exercise and restraint of power.

What to expect

A sustained contribution to political philosophy and jurisprudence. Readers interested in constitutional theory, natural law and the moral basis of institutions can begin with the publisher's sample and contents.