The natural limits of the human body make us vulnerable and therefore dependent, throughout our lives, on others. Yet American law and policy disregard these stubborn facts, with statutes and judicial decisions that presume people to be autonomous, defined by their capacity to choose. This individualistic ideology captures important truths about human freedom, but it also means that we have no obligations to each other unless we actively, voluntarily embrace them. Under such circumstances, the most vulnerable among us must rely on charitable care. When it is not forthcoming, law and policy cannot adequately respond. In this lecture, Prof. Carter Snead (Notre Dame) rethinks how the law represents human experiences so that it might govern more wisely, justly, and humanely.