Daily Read: Sean Wilson's The Flexible Constitution

Sean Wilson (pictured) provides a compelling view of constitutional interpretation in his new book, The Flexible Constitution.  His work is often Dworkian in tone, although Wilson distinguishes himself from Dworkin's interest in moral reasoning.  Instead, Wilson writes that constitutional law problems are what "Wittgenstein described as aesthetical judgments - i.e. judgments that a connosseur would make" and Wilson stresses culture much more than morality.  (p. 83).

 

Worth a special read is the book's Appendix, "The Philosophical Investigation," which provides a Wittigensteinian interrogation of the meaning of "the original meaning of the Constitution."  This would be a terrific exercise for a Constitutional Interpretation or Jurisprudence seminar.

RR