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Description
This course offers students a broad introduction to political philosophy and presupposes no prior knowledge of the subject. Readings will mostly be drawn from Contemporary Anglophone political philosophy (so-called 鈥渁nalytic鈥� philosophy): in particular, Rawls and some of his interlocutors (Nozick, Cohen, Moller-Okin, et. al). Yet we may also occasionally read figures from the history of political thought (Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, Locke, Mill) and some modern European theorists (so-called 鈥渃ontinental鈥� philosophers) as well (Habermas, Honneth, Forst). Questions treated in the course are likely to include the following: What is the source of the state鈥檚 authority and what could render it legitimate? What is liberty, and what are its limits? Why is property valuable, and how should it be distributed? Is there a trade-off between equality and freedom? Are there any natural rights or are they all conventional? What is justice? Throughout we will be concerned with how these questions are treated in different frameworks: liberal, libertarian, socialist, feminist, utilitarian, and anarchist.听听
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 8th April 2024.
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