POL 203 - Western Political Philosophy - Taimur Rehman PDF

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Lahore University of Management Sciences  

POL203–Western PoliticalPhilosophy Spring2017-18  Instructor TaimurRehman RoomNo. 123 Email [email protected]  CourseBasics CreditHours 4  COURSEDESCRIPTION/OBJECTIVES IntroductiontoWesternPoliticalPhilosophywillacquaintstudents withsomeofthekeyideas oftheWestern politicaltradition,includingvariousconceptionsofhumannature,reason,self‐interest,autonomy,democracy, freewill,sovereignty,andthemoralrightsandobligationsofthecitizen.Insodoing,itseekstofosterstudents‘ ability to assess competing theoretical paradigms and to draw upon these frameworks to critically evaluate politicalquestionsandproblemsintheworldtoday.  Two100‐minutesessionsperweek Opentoall CompulsoryforPoliticalSciencemajors  GRADEBREAKDOWN Attendance:10% Midterm:40% Final:50%  

Lahore University of Management Sciences COURSEOUTLINE Week1:IntroductionandCourseOverview  Session2:LectureonthedevelopmentofPoliticalPhilosophy   Week2:Plato  Plato.―TheAllegoryoftheCave,‖inBookVIIofTheRepublic.G.M.A.Grube(trans.)(HackettPublishing Company,1992).Alsoavailableat:http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html  Questionsfordiscussion WhatroledothemetaphorsofshadowandlightplayinPlato‘stext? WhatclaimsdoesPlatomakefortheconceptofreason? HowisreasonrelatedtothepoliticalinPlato?   Week3:Aristotle  Aristotle.ExcerptsfromPolitics.Pp.59–100,inSocialandPoliticalPhilosophy:ReadingsfromPlatoto Gandhi,eds.JohnSomervilleandRonaldSantoni(Anchor,1963).  Questionsfordiscussion WhoqualifiesasacitizenforAristotle? WhatarethethreebasictypesofpoliticalassociationidentifiedbyAristotle? Whatarethecorruptedformsofeachofthesetypes? Whatisthepolis,accordingtoAristotle? Howdoesitdifferfromthehousehold?   Week4:NiccoloMachiavelli  Machiavelli,Niccolo.ExcerptsfromThePrince.Pp.100–26,inSocialandPoliticalPhilosophy:Readings fromPlatotoGandhi,eds.JohnSomervilleandRonaldSantoni(Anchor,1963).  Questionsfordiscussion HowdoesMachiavelli‘saccountofthepoliticaldifferfromPlato‘sandAristotle‘s? HowdoesMachiavelli‘snotionofreasondifferfromtheclaimsforreasonadvancedbytheseearlier thinkers? WhatarethebasicaimsofpoliticsforMachiavelli? AccordingtoMachiavelli,wheredoespoliticalpowerreside? Whatarethechiefobjectivesoftheprinceinhisview? 

Lahore University of Management Sciences  Week5:ThomasHobbes  Hobbes,Thomas.ExcerptsfromLeviathan.Pp.139–68,inSocialandPoliticalPhilosophy:Readingsfrom PlatotoGandhi,eds.JohnSomervilleandRonaldSantoni(Anchor,1963).  Questionsfordiscussion HowHobbesdescribethestateofnature? WhatisthesocialcontractforHobbes? HowdoesHobbescharacterizetheobligationsandresponsibilitiesofthesovereign? Howarethecitizensofthesocialcontractpositionedvis‐à‐visthesovereign? HowdoesHobbes‘snotionofcitizenshipdifferfromtheviewsofPlato,Aristotle,andMachiavelli? WhyisHobbesconsidered(bysome)as―thefoundingfatherofliberalism‖?   Week6:JohnLocke  Locke,John.ExcerptsfromTheSecondTreatiseonCivilGovernment.Pp.169–204,inSocialandPolitical Philosophy:ReadingsfromPlatotoGandhi,eds.JohnSomervilleandRonaldSantoni(Anchor,1963).  Questionsfordiscussion HowdoesLocke‘sversionofthesocialcontractdifferfromHobbes‘s? HowdoesLockedefinenaturalrights? WhatroledoesmoneyplayinLocke‘stheory? HowdoesLocke‘sideaoftherightsandobligationsofthecitizendifferfromthatofHobbes?   Week7:Jean‐JacquesRousseau  Rousseau,Jean‐Jacques.ExcerptsfromTheSocialContract.Pp.205–38,inSocialandPolitical Philosophy:ReadingsfromPlatotoGandhi,eds.JohnSomervilleandRonaldSantoni(Anchor,1963).  Questionsfordiscussion HowdoesRousseau‘snotionofthesocialcontractdifferfromLocke‘sandHobbes‘s? WhatisthegeneralwillforRousseau? Rousseauportraysthewillofalegitimatesovereignaseffectivelyidenticalto thegeneralwillofthecitizens.InwhatsenseisthisaccountdifferentfromthetheoriesofLockeand Rousseau?   Week8:Revisionsession&Midterm  

Lahore University of Management Sciences Week9:JohnStuartMill  Mill,JohnStuart.ExcerptsfromOnLiberty.Pp.302–41,inSocialand PoliticalPhilosophy:ReadingsfromPlatotoGandhi,eds.JohnSomervilleandRonaldSantoni(Anchor, 1963).  Questionsfordiscussion WhyisMill‘sthoughtclassifiedas―ulitarian‖? HowistheprincipleofutilitarianismrelatedtothatofequalityinMill? OnwhattermsdoesMillcriticisetheprincipleofmajorityrule?   Week10:ImmanuelKant  Kant,Immanuel.―AnAnswertotheQuestion:WhatIsEnlightenment?‖inPerpetualPeaceandOther Essays,ed.TedHumphrey(HackettPublishingCompany,1983.  ―PerpetualPeace,‖inPerpetualPeaceandOtherEssays,ed.TedHumphrey(HackettPublishing Company,1983).  Questionsfordiscussion HowdoesKantdistinguishbetweenthepublicandtheprivateuseofreason? WhatdoesKantmeanwhenheclaimsthatenlightenmentis―man‘semergencefromself‐imposed immaturity‖?Whichinstitutions,beliefs,andpracticesishedirectlychallenging? Oftheaccountshumanreasonthatwehaveexaminedsofar,whichareclosesttoKant‘s?Whichare mostatoddswithit? ForKant,whyisthenation‐stateatriskifitimposesnoconditionsonthoseattemptingtoenterits borders?   Week11:G.W.F.Hegel  Hegel,G.W.F.―IndependenceandDependenceofSelf‐Consciousness:LordshipandBondage,‖inThe PhenomenologyofMind,trans.J.B.Baillie(Harper&Row,1967). Supplementaryreading  ―Enlightenment,‖inThePhenomenologyofMind,trans.J.B.Baillie(Harper&Row,1967).  Questionsfordiscussion Hegel,historyisassumedtooperate―behindpeople‘sbacks.‖Whatismeantbythisclaim? WhatdoesHegelseeasthetelos(orgoal)ofReason? AsdescribedbyHegel,whatistherelationshipbetweenmasterandslave? Whyisthisrelationshipa―dialeccal‖one?

Lahore University of Management Sciences WhatprocessisHegelattemptingtoelucidatewithhisfamoustermAufhebung?   Week12:KarlMarx  Marx,KarlandFriedrichEngels.ManifestooftheCommunistParty,inTheMarx‐EngelsReader,ed. RobertC.Tucker(W.W.Norton,1978).  Questionsfordiscussion InwhatsenseisMarx‘sanalysisanextensionofHegel‘s? HowdoeshedepartfromHegel? HowdoesMarxcritiquetheliberalnotionofrights? WhatisalienationforMarx? AccordingtoMarx,whyistheprocessofproductionkeytounderstandingtheorganizationand historyofhumansociety? HowdoesMarxdefineclass? WhydoesMarxbelievethatcapitalismwillbeoverthrownbytheworkingclass? HowdoesMarx‘sconceptofthepoliticaldifferfromthosethatwehaveexaminedthusfar?   Week13‐14:Revisions&Finals ...