Subjects and Citizens: The Possibility Condition Law and Democracy

There's a powerful idea in the history of European legal and political thought: that laws must be possible for people to follow. Annabel Brett, professor of Political Thought and History at Cambridge University, describes how from ancient times through the Renaissance, thinkers believed that demanding the impossible—whether physically or psychologically—was a hallmark of tyranny. A classic example is Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus, who ordered the Israelites to make bricks without straw. Brett analyzes how legal thinkers balanced the need for law to be both realistic and aspirational, and how these ideas shaped the development of modern legal systems. Brett is joined by Princeton University's Melissa Lane for commentary. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 40429]

You can listen to Subjects and Citizens: The Possibility Condition Law and Democracy online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Subjects and Citizens: The Possibility Condition Law and Democracy is an episode from Law and Justice (Audio) by UCTV.

This episode is 01:42:42 long.

This episode was published on Jul 5, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Law and Justice (Audio) when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.