Description:

Our very own Shmulik Nili will be giving a talk on his new book that is of great interest to comparativists. The book's early chapters will be circulated prior to the talk, and below is the description of the book:

Beyond the Law's Reach argues that fundamental assumptions in contemporary political philosophy need to be rethought in the face of pervasive political violence. At an applied level, Nili develops this claim by delving into a series of specific controversies, all revolving around affluent democracies' policy responses to the threat of pervasive violence abroad. Examples include the ethics of giving refuge to beleaguered autocrats to avert civil war in their country, the ethics of prosecuting foreign officials who have colluded with drug cartels, and the admission of oligarchs who acquired their riches by distorting their country's rule of law.

At a more theoretical level, the book shows that the moral principles needed to adjudicate these particular controversies can illuminate broader issues in normative political theory. These range from the philosophy of criminal punishment, through the relationship between the law's letter and its spirit, to the general plausibility of certain moral theories (and meta-theories) as public policy guides. Ranging from influential theories of justice to some of the hardest moral dilemmas facing communities and leaders struggling with the shadow of violence, this book explores the difficult circumstances in which we must aside not just the assumption of a stable liberal democracy, but even the dream of a clear path towards such democracy.

Shmuel Nili is an Associate Professor of political science at Northwestern University. His research in political philosophy ranges across meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. The applied aspects of his work focus on links between domestic and global injustice, with special attention to moral issues surrounding corporate agency, public property and corruption, and abuse of power. These themes are central to Nili's first three books: The People’s Duty (Cambridge University Press, 2019), Integrity, Personal and Political (Oxford University Press, 2020), and Philosophizing the Indefensible (Oxford University Press, 2023). The same themes dominate an ongoing, fourth book project focused on rethinking fundamental assumptions in political philosophy in the face of pervasive political violence. Nili's inquiries into these three themes started with a focus on corruption issues. In particular, he was interested in global corruption related to the "resource curse" and in philosophical questions that this "curse" raises about public property and democracy, as well as about the practical tasks of political philosophy. More recently, he has sought to connect his global theory arguments to domestic politics, paying special attention to morally fraught dynamics in various developing countries, in the United States, and in his native Israel.

Please use the Registration link for both in-person and virtual attendance.