1 June 2013

Learned Hand's vision of heaven

Ronald Dworkin quoting Gerald Gunther's biography of Learned Hand in his (Dworkin's) introduction/summary of "Justice for Hedgehogs":
[H]e would say that in the morning there would be a baseball game, with the score 4-1 in favor of the opposing team in the bottom of the ninth. Hand's team then loads the bases, and it is Hand's turn at bat; he promptly hits a home run, clearing the bases and winning the game. In the afternoon, there is a football game between the evenly matched teams, tied in a scoreless match. With a minute left to play, Hand catches a punt, weaves his way down the sidelines, and scores the winning touchdown. The highlight of the day is an evening banquet, with civilization's greatest minds - Socrates, Descartes, Benjamin Franklin, and Voltaire - among the guests. The designated speaker for the evening is Voltaire. After a few words from him, the audience shouts, "Shut up Voltaire, and sit down. WE WANT HAND!"