On Reading the Constitution

By Michael C. Dorf and Laurence H. Tribe

Book Overview

Our Constitution speaks in general terms of "liberty" and "property," of the "privileges and immunities" of citizens, and of the "equal protection of the laws"--open-ended phrases that seem to invite readers to reflect in them their own visions and agendas. Yet, recognizing that the Constitution cannot be merely what its interpreters wish it to be, this volume's authors draw on literary and mathematical analogies to explore how the fundamental charter of American government should be construed today.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674636252
• ISBN13: 9780674636255
• Release Date: February 1991
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 0.87 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Thought Provoking Read

Dr. Tribe of Harvard Law makes many interesting points in his book concerning the methods and approach one ought to take while reading or interpreting the Constitution. I would suggest this book to people that have read the Constitution not once but many times and who are looking to further their understanding. On the contrary you should not purchase this book looking for a formula to understand the Constitution! Rather this book promotes one's thoughts and helps the reader develop an approach in which they ought and ought not read the Constitution. Interestingly enough, for Tribe to claim that he knows the manner in which we ought not read the Constitution presupposes that he knows how we ought to. This then contradicts his final chapters when he claims that there is no correct approach to the Constitution and that any one person's interpretation is no more right nor wrong than the next reader's.