Liberal “principles” or how to make the best of it for yourself in worthless times

Prominent liberal party members in The Netherlands are prone to criminal self-enrichment. This is fully in line with liberal party principles putting personal autonomy first, unhindered by any objective norms and values: make the best of it for yourself!

Hendrik Kaptein • September 04, 2017

Ending the zero-sum game through public engagement

Debates on crime, migration and borders seem to be in dire need of academic – nuanced, factual and reflective – input. While reflecting on the difficulties in doing so, this blog calls for more academic action.

Maartje van der Woude • August 24, 2017

Inspired by wilderness

For a long time civilisation was equated with cultivating wilderness and urbanisation. Now climate change is threatening us, in many fields – including law – the positive value of wilderness is being rediscovered and the importance of experiencing it.

Wim Bonis • August 21, 2017 • 1 comment

Reflections from Lebanon: Illegal Status, Syrian Refugee Children and Roles of NGOs

Increasing numbers of displaced Syrians are becoming illegal in Lebanon. The blog will describe the negative consequences of the lack of legal status on children’s rights in practice, that have been observed through the author’s experiences on the ground.

Chiaki Takenouchi • August 11, 2017 • 1 comment

A bridge over Schengen’s troubled borders

In June 2017, the Court of Justice for the EU issued a decision on the activities the German Bundespolizei was deploying in the French-German border area. Were these activities Schengen-proof police checks or permanent border checks in disguise?

Maartje van der Woude • August 07, 2017

Liberal Democracy and the Accommodation of Diversity

Liberal democracy is often accused of being indifferent to diversity, in terms of accommodating new groups with different ethnical, linguistic or religious backgrounds, within contemporary liberal democratic societies. This accusation is, however, untrue.

Zhang Tu • July 17, 2017

A Former Member Sues His Church For Disfellowship

Jehovah’s Witness sues his church for damages resulting from his loss of membership. Church members no longer his clients in his real estate business. He goes bankrupt. Alberta Courts say he can sue. Supreme Court of Canada to hear the case on November 2.

Barry Winston Bussey • July 06, 2017

A new approach to democracy – with old roots

According to Vandana Shiva we must shift from representative democracy, in which corporations rule, to ‘Earth Democracy’ to deal with our current crises – to end conflict and bring peace. It means including the excluded into our conception of the economy.

Wim Bonis • June 28, 2017

Why moral character is still present, but mentioned only implicitly

Much contemporary literature on legal philosophy, management, and self-improvement seems like a variation on the age-old theme of classical virtue ethics. But if so, why isn’t this mentioned more explicitly?

Tom Knijp • June 23, 2017 • 2 comments

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