New book by Timo Slootweg, Tragedy in Ethics and Law: Other Voices of Dionysus
In a world where law and morality strive for clarity, order, and control, this book challenges us to confront what has long been forgotten: the tragic dimension of existence. Drawing on the ancient wisdom of Greek tragedy and the passionate urgency of both atheist and religious existentialism, Timo Slootweg argues that true justice cannot ignore the depths of suffering, mystery, and transformation.
From Nietzsche’s call to revive tragic thought to the voices of Augustin, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Buber, Berdyaev and Tillich a new path unfolds—one that reconnects law with life, creativity, and conscience. This work calls researchers, philosophers, theologians, and professionals alike to rethink the foundations of law, and to think of jurisprudence not as a cold science, but as a living, artistic form—one that embraces the paradoxes of human existence and democracy. A compelling plea for a “tragic method” in law, Tragedy in Ethics and Law: Other Voices of Dionysus opens the door to a more humane, imaginative, and courageous legal world.
This book is a thoroughly revised and expanded translation of Langs tragische einders. Verkenningen in de esthetica van moraal en recht, which was published in 2023.