Frankfurt Lectures III: The Case of Liberty
11 May 2010
Frank I. Michelman on the justification of democratic political systems
Following the well-received public lectures by the New York political scientist Nancy Fraser, it gives us great pleasure to welcome another prominent American scholar to the Frankfurt Lectures of the Cluster of Excellence. Frank I. Michelman, Professor of Law at Harvard University, will speak on May 17 and 18 on the topic ‘Contract and Common Ground: The Case of Liberty’.
The lectures will examine the concepts of contract, consensus, and ethical values with particular reference to the justification of democratic political systems. They will address the question of whether a sharp distinction between contract-based and value-based systems of justification is tenable. This question will be framed by an examination of different approaches to defining constitutionally protected freedoms, such as those proposed by John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin.
Frank I. Michelman is one of the most renowned contemporary legal theorists. He is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University with specialisations in constitutional law, the philosophy of law, property law, and municipal law.
Both of the lectures to be delivered by Professor Michelman will begin at 7pm. They will take place in Hörsaal 3 (HZ3) of the Hörsaalzentrum on the Westend Campus. Interested members of the public are cordially invited to attend.
Additional information can be found here.
