{"product_id":"9780865978058","title":"The Enforcement of Morals","description":"\u003cp\u003eAre morals always relative? Are private actions—among consenting adults— always beyond the law? Or are there some behaviors which so weaken a society that common beliefs about right and wrong must be enforced to protect the common good?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn opposing the decriminalization of private acts of homosexuality in Britain, Patrick Devlin maintained that not only is it reasonable to allow popular morality to influence lawmaking, it is imperative: “ . . . For a society is not something that is kept together physically; it is held by the invisible bonds of common thought.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday, as divisive issues such as same-sex marriage and “don’t ask, don’t tell” confront our legislative, judicial, and executive branches, the views expressed by Devlin in \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Enforcement of Morals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e resonate and reverberate anew.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePatrick Devlin\u003c\/b\u003e (1905–1992) studied history and law at Cambridge University and became a successful lawyer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Liberty Fund Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47027595837680,"sku":"9780865978058","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780865978058_p0.jpg?v=1763836868","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780865978058","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}