Origins of Order

Finalist in the PROSE Awards Legal Studies category, sponsored by the Association of American Publishers

"In the tradition of philosophical anthropology, Paul Kahn reads important texts in U.S. constitutional history using the concepts of 'project'—reasoned design—and 'system'—emergent order. His wide-ranging analysis puts familiar material in a new and thought-provoking light."—Mark Tushnet, Harvard Law School

"Paul Kahn’s contrast between law as deliberate political engineering and as immanent spontaneous order guides him through a fundamental—and stunningly original—reimagining of our constitutional history."—Robert W. Gordon, author of Taming the Past: Law in History and History in Law

"This latest book by one of our most truly profound and challenging thinkers about law offers consistently challenging reflections on different ways of approaching American law, particularly American constitutionalism. I can easily envision its becoming the basis of seminars and intense discussion."—Sanford Levinson, author of An Argument Open to All:  Reading The Federalist in the 21st  Century

“An eloquent exploration of two persistent, often conflicting alternatives that structure the American legal imaginary: project and system … a powerful and humane work of legal philosophy, legal history, and constitutional theory."—Jonathan Sheehan, author of Invisible Hands: Self-Organization and Enlightenment

“This is a difficult but intriguing work by a scholar of considerable eminence.”—R. C. Cottrell, emeritus, California State University, Chico