"Obedience to the Unenforceable"

Plus notes from the book tour, and an invitation!

Gracious reader,

Happy Easter!

Whether or not you celebrated Easter this weekend, I hope you had a restorative weekend.

Before my interview on C-SPAN yesterday morning, I spent the early hours of the day reflecting on Easter, the time of year when many Christians around the world, myself in included, reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I came across an Easter Sermon that MLKJ delivered on Easter morning on March 29, 1959 called “A Walk Through the Holy Land, Easter Sunday Sermon Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.”

In this sermon, King recounts a visit he paid to the Middle East, and when he visited the place of Christ’s death, fell to his knees in tears.

He notes that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was “something that nobody could demand him to do.”

He was “a man who had the amazing capacity to be obedient to unenforceable obligations,” and is a model to us all.

Reading this reminded me of a concept I explore and unpack in my book, The Soul of Civility, called “obedience to the unenforceable.” This idea was explored in a speech given by Lord Moulton to the English House of Commons in July, 1924.

Moulton said there were three spheres of human life: positive law, human agency—and in between, was a realm that he said required “obedience to the unenforceable.”

It’s a realm where we’re not purely free to act how we’d like, but there is no government body or authority watching over us to make sure we act well.

It’s the realm of self-governance, of social norms, of civility.

Our integrity is tested at the point when there’s no punishment.

This exists in the mundane: How we treat clerks and waiters in the everyday?

But also the things with the upmost gravity, such as in times of war: How do we as individuals or as nations respond as a state to an egregious injustice? “War norms” are agreed upon to protect civilians, children, the vulnerable. These are norms that have been agreed upon across history and culture out of mutual interest — and to protect our species from unnecessary suffering and mutual annihilation.

But “international law” that governs war and other areas of international life are really norms because there is no supra sovereign body to enforce how leaders comply with them.

Moulton writes, “Between ‘can do’ and ‘may do’ ought to exist the whole realm which recognizes the sway of duty, fairness, sympathy, taste, and all the other things that make life beautiful and society possible.”

War is governed by norms precisely because there is no one to enforce norms by law.

Last Week

• I was honored to be hosted by The Village Square and Florida Humanities last week to discuss my book as part of their UNUM Digital Series. Enjoy the conversation here.

• Recorded for City Journal’s 10 Blocks podcast with host Brian C. Anderson—stay tuned for that episode to drop soon!

• Interviewed by Yascha Mounk for The Good Fight podcast—also forthcoming.

In the news

• Was thrilled to join Ben Shapiro on his podcast this morning, which you can listen to here.

• Enjoy my long conversation with viewers of Washington Journal, on C-Span.

• Current, commentary by Jeff Worrell, A pledge of respect, productive dialogue.

Coming Up

• This week, I’ll be a guest lecturer and leading a seminar at the University of Louisville.

• Later this week, I’ll be in Boston for a book talk hosted by the New England Legal Foundation. Register below!

• The Soul of Civility tour carries on to Europe! Events kick off in London starting April 15th with a media dinner and continue to the House of Lords, Westminster, the Academy of Ideas, and Oxford University at the invitation of the Pharos Foundation.

• Then it’s on to Paris, Brussels, Switzerland, and Rome for events and conversations that I welcome you to join, details of the tour found here.

• It you’re in these cities and would like to come to the events, write to me!

Thanks for being part of the Civic Renaissance Community! I’m thankful you are here.