Two central concepts in American political thought are the rule of law and the moral limits of sovereign power. In the founding era, prominent political actors, writers, and pamphleteers frequently discussed these political concepts by analogy to the related theological concepts of divine rule and sovereignty. The dominant tradition of thinking about these concepts in America developed through the long Christian engagement with classical philosophy and distinguished American founding thought from other strands of early modern philosophy that increasingly embraced arbitrary rule and unlimited sovereignty.

In this lecture, Justin Dyer explores the real origins of our political system--addressing crucial questions about our past, so that we can accurately understand our present and future.

Speaker

Justin Dyer is director of the Civitas Institute, professor of government, and Jack G. Taylor Regents Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author, with Kody Cooper, of The Classical and Christian Origins of American Politics: Political Theology, Natural Law, and the American Founding (Cambridge University Press, 2022).