Stephen Carter is one of America's leading public intellectuals, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the fifty leaders of the next century.

Author of four novels, Carter's extraordinary fiction debut, The Emperor of Ocean Park, spent 11 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list in 2002 and has appeared on best-seller lists in several European countries. He has also written seven critically acclaimed nonfiction books on law, ethics and politics, including Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy and God's Name in Vain: The Wrongs and Rights of Religion in Politics.

Carter is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Yale, where he has taught since 1982. Much of his work focuses on the creation of conditions for rational dialogue while preserving a rich diversity of points of view. His recent work focuses on the role of human affection in ethical and moral discourse and the intersection between theories of unjust war and unjust law.

NOTE: Bio is as it appeared in The Forum program on October 2, 2010.

He is currently writing a book on the future of democracy and speaks on "Democracy's Future: Books or Bumper Stickers," among other topics. His most recent novel, Jericho's Fall, was published in July 2009. A Connecticut local, Carter once served as a law clerk for two of the great veterans of the civil rights movement, including Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court. As a trustee for the Aspen Institute, he moderates seminars for business executives on the role of values in leadership.