The Intellectual Life of Edmund Burke: From the Sublime and Beautiful to American Independence. A Book Colloquium from the Foundation for Law, Justice and Society (FLJS)

In this book colloquium on David Bromwich’s biography of Edmund Burke, legal and political experts from both sides of the Atlantic will discuss Burke’s life and work.

David Bromwich’s portrait of statesman Edmund Burke (1730–1797) is the first biography to attend to the complexity of Burke’s thought as it emerges in both the major writings and private correspondence.

This intellectual biography examines the first three decades of Burke’s professional life. His protest against the cruelties of English society and his criticism of all unchecked power laid the groundwork for his later attacks on abuses of government in India, Ireland, and France.

Burke is commonly seen as the father of modern conservatism. Bromwich reveals the matter to be far more subtle and interesting. Burke was a defender of the rights of disfranchised minorities and an opponent of militarism. His politics diverge from those of any modern party, but all parties would be wiser for acquaintance with his writing and thoughts.

Participants:

Denis Galligan, Professor of Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford

John W Adams, Chairman of the Board, FLJS; and Adjunct Professor, Rutgers University

Andrew Murphy, Associate Professor, Political Science Department, Rutgers University