Active Liberty/Modern Liberty, The Benjamin Constant Moment in America December 10, 2007

Active Liberty/Modern Liberty: The Benjamin Constant Moment in America



Keynote at 4pm: Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court

A founding father of modern liberalism, Benjamin Constant’s thoughtful distinction between ancient and modern liberty has taken on new meaning nearly two centuries later for many prominent intellectuals. Organized by Helena Rosenblatt, Associate Professor of History at Hunter College, this half-day conference will be open to the public and unite world-renowned jurists, historians, political philosophers, and legal academics for a discussion about the contemporary meaning of liberty and the ways in which Benjamin Constant’s work still structures our ideas of liberty and democracy. Sponsored by the Florence Gould Foundation. Participants will include Charles Fried, Beneficial Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, and author of Modern Liberty and the Limits of Government; Philippe Raynaud, Professor of Political Science at the Universite de Paris II (Panthenon-Assas), and author of “Constant” in New French Thought; Patrice Higonnet, Goelet Professor of French History, Harvard University; and Jeremy Jennings, Professor of Political Theory, Queen Mary, College of London, and the editor of Republicanism in Theory and Practice. Sponsored by the Florence Gould Foundation.
Free and open to the public

Monday, December 10th, 4.00-8.00pm Proshansky Auditorium

The Graduate Center, CUNY (365 Fifth Ave between 34th and 35th)

Official Website: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/Humanities/constant_conf.final.pdf