Enforcement of Morals

Patrick Devlin

ISBN 10: 0865978050 / ISBN 13: 9780865978058

Edité par Liberty Fund Inc, US, 2010

A propos de cet article

The limits of individual freedom within society -- the boundaries of the public and the private in the realm of morals, and the point at which the law may enter -- are the core concern of these seven essays by prominent British jurist Lord Patrick Devlin.

N° de réf. du vendeur LU-9780865978058

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Enforcement of Morals
• Éditeur: Liberty Fund Inc, US
• Date de parution: 2010
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0865978050
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780865978058
• Reliure: Paperback
• État de l'article: New

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

Are morals always relative? Are private actions-among consenting adults- always beyond the law? Or are there some behaviors which so weaken a society that common beliefs about right and wrong must be enforced to protect the common good?

In opposing the decriminalization of private acts of homosexuality in Britain, Patrick Devlin maintained that not only is it reasonable to allow popular morality to influence lawmaking, it is imperative: " . . . For a society is not something that is kept together physically; it is held by the invisible bonds of common thought."

Today, as divisive issues such as same-sex marriage and "don't ask, don't tell" confront our legislative, judicial, and executive branches, the views expressed by Devlin in The Enforcement of Morals resonate and reverberate anew.

Patrick Devlin (1905-1992) studied history and law at Cambridge University and became a successful lawyer.

À propos de l?auteur

Patrick Devlin (1905-92) studied history and law at Cambridge University and became a successful lawyer. He worked for various government ministries during the Second World War, and in 1948 became the second-youngest person ever appointed a High Court judge. He was knighted later that year. In 1957 the controversial Wolfenden report recommended decriminalisation of private acts of homosexuality, and two sides of the debate about the law's place in the enforcement of morals emerged.