The Limits of Liberty

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By Sarah Conly ’75

Published Sept. 22, 2026

In The Limits of Liberty (Oxford University Press), philosopher Sarah Conly questions the traditional argument that personal liberty is always valuable. Conly develops her argument through an exploration of controversial policy revisions in different fields. She scrutinizes medical ethics through the lens of vaccines, arguing that patient autonomy should be less respected than it currently is. Conly also explores environmental ethics and the ethics of personal expression, free speech, and freedom of religion, simultaneously offering policy recommendations and challenging widely accepted notions of when liberty matters.

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PAW's October 2026 cover, featuring a photo of a loaf of challah bread and the headline "The Braids That Bind."
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October 2026

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