What's the purpose of government? Are there limits to what the state may demand of us? Does social justice require equality? Is taxation theft? This course addresses these and other questions of political morality, through the lens of the major theories of Western philosophy. We'll also consider critiques of those theories, including the claim that they are sexist and racist. Topics will include Mill on the general welfare and the importance of liberty, Nozick on individual rights, Rawls on distributive justice and Cohen on equality. We'll aim to understand the principles and values underlying these accounts and apply them to contemporary debates over issues such as hate speech, egalitarian social policy and poverty relief.
Goals: Upon successful completion of this course, you will:
be familiar with a set of core philosophical questions about the nature and importance of freedom, equality, fairness and the general welfare, and the relationship between these distinct values;
understand the answers given to those questions by a set of influential political philosophers of the past and present, and the arguments for and against them;
be able to apply the concepts and theories discussed to a range of debates in contemporary politics.
As in any philosophy class, you will also have developed your general skills in:
Interpreting and evaluating arguments
Developing, justifying and defending your own views on complex philosophical questions
Expressing yourself clearly and persuasively in oral and written form.
Prerequisite: Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors without prerequisite, and to first-years who have taken one course in philosophy.
Distribution: Religion, Ethics and Moral Philosophy; Social and Behavioral Analysis
Professor: Helena de Bres
Contact: hdebres@wellesley.edu
Website: https://sites.google.com/wellesley.edu/helenadebres/home
Class time: Tuesdays and Fridays, 11:20-12:35
Office hours: Tuesdays 10-11, Fridays 1-2
You're welcome to drop by whenever during these times, either solo or with a fellow student. I recommend booking a time slot in advance in the week before an assignment is due, to ensure you secure a spot.
No need to have a specific question--we can chat about class material, philosophy, writing, or whatever else is on your mind.
If this time doesn't work for you for some reason, email me and we can try to arrange an appointment (in person or remote) at a different hour.
Venue: Founders 307
Communication:
Outside of class, we'll be communicating via our Google Group, which has this email address: phil-213-01-fa23@wellesley.edu
I'll make all announcements via the Group, and you can also use it to send messages to the class as a whole.
You'll submit your weekly reading responses (instructions here) via the Group too.
You'll submit your assignments to me, anonymized, over email.
Readings:
There are two books assigned for the course: G.A. Cohen, Why Not Socialism? (Princeton University Press, 2009) and Jason Brennan, Why Not Capitalism? (Routledge, 2014). Links to the library's e-book versions are on the syllabus. If you want to purchase a hard copy, they're both available online for $7-$14.
All other readings are PDFs linked to our class schedule, on this site.
You can find course policies and additional resources at those links right there.