Law from Below
How the Thought of Francisco SuĂĄrez, SJ, Can Renew Contemporary Legal Engagement
- 232 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Law from Below
How the Thought of Francisco SuĂĄrez, SJ, Can Renew Contemporary Legal Engagement
About this book
A constructive model of engagement with unjust laws from the ground up
The current political atmosphere would suggest that law is imposed only from above, specifically by the chief executive acting upon some sort of perceived populist mandate.
In Law from Below, Elisabeth Rain Kincaid argues that the theology of the early modern legal theorist and theologian, Francisco Suárez, SJ may be successfully retrieved to provide a constructive model of legal engagement for Christians today. Suárez’s theology was developed to combat an authoritarian view of law, suggesting that communities may work to change law from the ground up as they function within the legal system, not just outside it. Law from Below suggests that Suárez’s theory of law provides a theologically robust way to mount a counter-narrative to contemporary authoritarian theories of law, while still acknowledging the good in the rule of law and its imposition by a legislative authority. Suárez acknowledges the crucial contribution of citizens to improving law’s moral content, without removing the importance of law’s own authority or the role of the lawgiver.
Law from Below argues that the dialogue between legislators and the community provides Christian activists with a range of options for constructively engaging with law in order to have a positive impact on society.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Series Page
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Political Theologyâs Loss of Law: Why Francisco SuĂĄrez Matters
- 2 Law as Activity: SuĂĄrezâs Theory of Law from Below
- 3 SuĂĄrez and Modernity: Critics and Concerns
- 4 The Work of the People: The Power of Custom for Positive Lawmaking
- 5 Doubts and Deliberation: Communal Engagement in Legal Interpretation
- 6 Falling between the Legal Cracks: Practices of Equity in the Face of Injustice
- Conclusion
- Index
- About the Author