The Just and the Good: How Law Made the Western World

In The Just and the Good, William Magnuson takes readers on a sweeping tour of the history of the law in Western civilization. He explains how foundational institutions like courts, codes, and constitutions magically transform the worlds they govern. And he argues that if we want to understand the foundations of freedom, justice, and democracy, we need to begin by looking at the history of the law.

In each chapter, Magnuson explores how the pillars of the rule of law were built. How did the courts of ancient Athens create the world's first democracy? Why did the barons of medieval England insist that King John sign the Magna Carta? What was so revolutionary about the American Constitution? And why did it take so long to abolish slavery? Magnuson shows that the answers to these questions are not always as simple as they seem. Good laws require ingenuity, problem-solving, and compromise.

A landmark work, The Just and the Good teaches us where our ideas of justice came from and why they are worth saving.