|
PHIL-099 Political and Social Thought
Spring only
Prof. Henry S. Richardson
Spring 2010: draft
Office: New North 205
Email: richardh@georgetown.edu (please use email, not phone)
Office hours: tbd
Section leaders (sections): email: Office hours (in NN 205):
Mark Formicelli (tbd) mtf33@georgetown.edu tbd
Kelly Heuer (tbd) kellyheuer@gmail.com tbd
Anthony Manela (tbd) aam62@georgetown.edu tbd
The ideal of democracy is quite a complex one. As children, we get introduced to it via the idea of majority rule; yet no contemporary government operates on the basis of simple majority rule. The scale of modern governments introduces a need for representative government, which is already a serious complication. Further, the potential for the powerful to dominate, whether absent institutions of majority rule or despite them, must be addressed. Deciding policies or picking rulers by lottery would be fair and impartial in a way, and yet in democracies, we think, citizens should debate policies. Why? Individual rights, as often enshrined in constitutions, do delimit the scope for majority rule as expressed via elected legislatures; but are these rights (such as the rights of free speech and assembly) hindrances to democracy or necessary props of it? Governments also have come to rely on large bureaucracies to work out and implement the policies that legislatures decide upon. Does this reliance destroy the possibility of rule by the people? And what does rule by the people have to do, anyway, with majority rule?
In this course, we will read some of the main texts of Western political philosophy. They have been chosen so as to put you in a position, by the end of the semester, to understand democracy in a deeper and more nuanced way. Each of the authors we will read makes an important and distinctive contribution to the democratic ideal. Whether each of their contributions should be incorporated into that ideal is a controversial question; but at least you will be equipped, by the end of the course, to address those questions about the democratic ideal in a thoughtful way.
Assigned texts:
Machiavelli, The Prince and the Discourses (McGraw-Hill).
Hobbes, Leviathan, ed. Curley (Hackett).
Locke, Political Writings, ed. D. Wootton (Mentor).
Rousseau, The Social Contract and Discourses (BN Publishing)
Kant, Perpetual Peace and Other Essays (Hackett)
Mill, On Liberty and Other Essays, ed. J. Gray (Oxford).
Rawls, Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (Harvard).
Credits: 4
Prerequisites: None
Course syllabi
The following syllabi may help you learn more about this course (login required):
Spring '10:
Richardson H
(description, file download)
Spring '10:
Widerquist, K.
(description)
Fall '09:
Lichtenberg, J.
(file download)
Fall '09:
Koons, J
(description)
Additional syllabi may be available in prior academic years.
|
 |
Other academic years
There is information about this course number in other academic years:
More information
Look for this course in the schedule of classes.
The academic department web site for this program may provide other details about this course.
|
