I want to like John Finnis. I want to respect him as a scholar. But how can you do that when he writes stuff like this? I've read this paragraph about a dozen times and I have no idea what it means. I've considered and, perhaps predictably, rejected the possibility that I'm just too dumb to get it. I think he's just a bad writer.
Sadly, it's not the worst example of jargon I've seen in Finnis' work.
And don't even get me started on Oliver Williamson!
Clarity is a virtue! Taking the time to make sure that your meaning is accessible to bench and bar ought to be the goal, rather than obfuscating with impenetrable jargon.
