The End of Democracy?: The Celebrated First Things Debate, With Arguments Pro and Con and " the Anatomy of a Controversy"

by Richard John Neuhaus (Editor), Mitchell S. Muncy (Editor)

American conservatism's most ferocious internecine controversy in years erupted when the journal First Things published a symposium on "the judicial usurpation of politics," exploring the daring question "whether we have reached or are reaching the point where conscientious citizens can no longer give moral assent to the existing regime." A far-flung debate ensued, engaging scores of contestants in countless journals and newspapers. A new volume collects for the first time the original symposium and the most important responses, with a new 90-page essay by First Things' Richard John Neuhaus, "The Anatomy of a Controversy." Collected here is the original November 1996 symposium on "The End of Democracy? The Judicial Usurpation of Politics," in which Robert Bork, Russell Hittinger, Hadley Arkes, Charles Colson, Robert George, and the editors of First Things confront five decades of judicial decrees arrogating to the courts the final say on abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, obscenity, and other fundamental questions of how we order our lives together. Responses from 20 eminent commentators follow (including Gertrude Himmelfarb, Mary Ann Glendon, William Bennett, Norman Podhoretz, and William Kristol), ranging from condemnation of the symposium's reckless flirtation with rebellion to praise for its forthright engagement of distressing but urgent questions. An extended review of the contours and implications of the controversy by Father Neuhaus rounds out the volume.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 1997

About the author

Richard John Neuhaus was a prominent Christian cleric (first as a Lutheran pastor and later as a Roman Catholic priest) and writer. Born in Canada, Neuhaus moved to the United States where he became a naturalized United States citizen. He was the founder and editor of the monthly journal First Things and the author of several books, including The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America (1984), The Catholic Moment: The Paradox of the Church in the Postmodern World (1987), and Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, and the Splendor of Truth (2006). He was a staunch defender of the Roman Catholic Church's teachings on abortion and other life issues and an unofficial advisor of President George W. Bush on bioethical issues.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essays in First Things on power of judiciary, responses from detractors and adherents, with "Analysis of a Conflict"