Think about some of the major political categories that populate our public conversation: liberal, conservative, socialist…Regardless of where you see yourself on the spectrum, we ought to wonder: How did these labels arise? Who are their intellectual forbearers?
This reading group will explore these questions through three major traditions of modern political thought in the works of the “father of liberalism” John Locke (1632-1704), the “first conservative” Edmund Burke (1729-1797), and the socialist Karl Marx (1818-1883). Each of them gave differing answers to questions such as:
* What is the basis for the authority of government?
* How should goods be distributed?
* What is the goal of political and cultural institutions?
* What is the nature of human beings?
Importantly, which view should we think is closer to the truth? It turns out that answering this question will depend, in no small part, on how we think human reason ought to work.
No background in philosophy required. All undergraduate and graduate/professional students welcome.
Meets Tuesdays
2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23, 3/2, 3/9
