Political Philosophy

Political philosophy covers a lot of ground, so determining what to focus on can be a bit difficult. Since many of my courses use contemporary articles or books, I try to do something different with my political philosophy, in part because a firm understanding of the history of ideas within the area can clarify contemporary political dialogue as well. So, my political philosophy course tends to engage more directly with deep, careful readings of historical texts within the history of political philosophy, often centered on a particular theme. The political philosophy course below focused on working through two classics in the area focused on the notion of property. To this end, we read John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government to engage with the classical liberalism that underlies much of contemporary political discussions. Then, to offer a unique challenge to Locke and further explore notions of property, we read Pierre-Joseph Proudhon’s What is Property?