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So argues philosophy professor Barry Lam in his new book, “

.” While Lam acknowledges law as the backbone of society, he says America has forgotten the good of discretion. Be it a sports referee, a parent, a police officer or a prosecutor, decision makers need the freedom to exercise discernment about how the rules get applied. 

Lam joins Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas for a philosophical and practical discussion about how discretion greases the wheels of our culture and why removing it creates a lumbering bureaucracy. 

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In his new book, philosophy professor Barry Lam says we underestimate how important discretion is to a just, moral and efficient society.

‘Fewer Rules, Better People: The Case for Discretion’

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