Moral and Political Philosophy

 Course Description

This course explores foundational themes in political and moral philosophy. By examining influential texts across diverse historical and cultural landscapes – from ancient Greece and China to the Enlightenment and the modern era – students will interrogate the principles that constitute a 'good society.' We will analyse how thinkers such as Plato, Confucius, Locke, Marx, and Rawls have shaped our understanding of freedom, justice, and equality. Beyond rigourous textual analysis, the course fosters the open-mindedness and critical inquiry necessary to evaluate sensitive moral values and move beyond ideological preconceptions.

Texts – Excerpts will be taken mainly from the following sources:

Steven M. Cahn, ed., Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 2011)

Wanda Torres-Gregory and Donna Giancola, eds., World Ethics (Cengage Learning, 2002)

  Topics 

1. General Introduction to Moral & Political Philosophy

2. Confucius’ Analects (551-479 BCE), in World Ethics, Wanda Torres- Gregory and Donna Giancola, eds., pp. 187-192

3. Plato’s Republic (c. 428-c. 348 BCE), in Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Steven M. Cahn, ed., pp. 31-168

4. Augustine’s The City of God (354-430), in Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Steven M. Cahn, ed., pp. 285-­297

5. Machiavelli’s The Prince (1469-1527), in Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Steven M. Cahn, ed., pp. 324-­349

6. Locke’s Second Treatise of Government (1632-1704), in Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Steven M. Cahn, ed., pp. 446-­417

7. Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (1723-1790), in Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Steven M. Cahn, ed., pp. 662-­680

8. Marx’ (1818 -1883) and Engels’ (1820 -1895) Manifesto of the Communist Party, in Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Steven M. Cahn, ed., pp. 878-896

9. Mill’s Utilitarianism (1806-1873), in Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Steven M. Cahn, ed., pp. 921-958

10. Rawls’ A Theory of Justice (1921-2002), in Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Steven M. Cahn, ed., pp. 1034-­1060

11. Gandhi (1869-1948) on Non-Violence, in World Ethics, Wanda Torres-Gregory and Donna Giancola, eds., pp. 220-225

12. Léopold Sédar Senghor’s Negritude: A Humanism of the Twentieth Century (1906-2001), in World Ethics, Wanda Torres-Gregory and Donna Giancola, eds., 237-241

Additional Sources in Moral & Political Philosophy

BOOKS

•  Tom Campbell, Justice, 2nd edn. (Palgrave, 2000)

• Jean Hampton, Political Philosophy (Westview, 1997)

• Robert Goodin and Philip Peht (eds.), Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Anthology (Blackwell, 1997)

• Robert Goodin and Philip Peht (eds.), A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy (Blackwell, 1993)

• Lesley Jacobs, An Introduction to Modern Political Philosophy: The Democratic Vision of Politics (Pren2ce-­‐Hall, 1997)

• Dudley Knowles, Political Philosophy (McGill-­‐Queen's University Press, 2001)

• Will Kymlicka (ed.), Justice in Political Philosophy (Edward Elgar, 1992)

• Raymond Plant, Modern Political Thought (Blackwell, 1991)

• Peter Singer (ed.), A Companion to Ethics (Blackwell, 1991)

• George Sher and Baruch Brody (eds.), Social and Political Philosophy: Contemporary Readings (Harcourt Brace, 1999)

• Jonathan Wolff, An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Oxford University Press, 1996)

JOURNALS

• • • Ethics

    • Political Theory

    • Philosophy and Public Affairs

    • Journal of Political Philosophy

    • Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy

    • Social Theory and Practice

    • Public Affairs Quarterly

    • Journal of Political Ideologies

    • Journal of Applied Philosophy

    • Ethical Theory and Moral Practice

    • Philosophy, Politics and Economics

    • Review of Politics

    • Constellations

    • Philosophy and Social Criticism

WEBSITES

General:

• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/

• The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

http://www.plato.stanford.edu

• Philosophy Pages

http://www.philosophypages.com/index.htm

• Episteme Links
 

http://epistemelinks.com

• philpapers

http://philpapers.org

Specific:

• www.political-­theory.org

• https://philpapers.org/browse/social-and-political-philosophy

Audio:

• In Our Time, BBC Radio4, Melvyn Bragg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01f0vzr

• Philosophy Talk, Stanford University

http://www.philosophytalk.org