Justice, Nature, & Law
From the politics of society to the rules of the natural world
July 2–8, 2023 | Annapolis, MD
In what sense does nature have laws? In what sense can human laws be by nature? We will read Sophocles’ Antigone and Plato’s Republic to think about the relationship of nature and justice to the laws of the city. Connecting literature and philosophy to the laboratory, we read Pascal’s treatises on pressure to consider force and counterforce in nature and the lawful relationship between them. And we will explore justice and law at work, in the nation, the family, and the human heart, reading stories by Franz Kafka, Flannery O’Connor, and Eudora Welty.
Classes and Readings
Coming Soon
Summer Academy Sessions
July 23–29, 2023
Art & Nature: Intersection of Imagination and Ingenuity
At the St. John’s College Summer Academy, the community formed among students is a natural extension of the friendships and ideas formed in the classroom. To this end, Summer Academy students experience life at St. John’s by taking lessons in croquet, swing dancing, sailing, and choral singing. Students’ conversations about justice, nature, and law will continue as they are taken on a tour of the Maryland State House and attend a performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest by the Annapolis Shakespeare Company.