Skip to content

Humans

Why our sense of disgust both makes and undermines our legal systems

In their new book, Objection, Debra Lieberman and Carlton Patrick unpick how legislature must balance between objectivity and humanity, not always convincingly

12 September 2018

protest — Justice is famously blind and impartial, but it is also human
Mirrorbox

WE WANT the law to be fair and objective. We also want laws that work in the real world, protecting and reassuring us, and maintaining our social and cultural values.

book cover

The moral dilemma is that we can’t have both. This may be because humans are hopelessly irrational and need a rational legal system to keep them in check. But it may also be that rationality has limits; trying to sit in judgement over everything is as cruel and farcical as gathering cats in a sack.

This dilemma is…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

Unlock this article

or

Existing subscribers

More from New Scientist

Explore the latest news, articles and features

Humans

People in China are the least likely to report being left-handed

News

Illustration of scales of justice

Technology

AI legal assistant's first appearance in court has been cancelled

News

Interior of a modern courtroom

Technology

AI legal assistant will help defendant fight a speeding case in court

News

WXFHW9 Man watering green lawn, sprinkling water on the grass with water pistol, close-up with no face

Environment

When water runs short, how do you get people to use their fair share?

News

1

Dogs pull harder on the leash when they wear a harness than a collar

2

Indoor cannabis farms in US use more energy than all other agriculture

3

The only four skincare ingredients that have been proven to work

4

These are all of the missions heading to the moon in 2025

5

The shocking discovery that our gut microbiome drives ageing