Description
What is the state? Why should citizens allow the state to exercise control over various aspects of life within that state? Are there limits to the exercise of that control, and if so, how does one determine them? What type of obligations, if any, do governments have toward the poor? How does one understand the government’s role in protecting various rights of its people? Political philosophy is not primarily about politics, but instead is about the foundation of societies that allows political discourse to be possible. In this class, students will be introduced to these questions and will explore various answers to these questions from the history of philosophy and from contemporary discussions. Students will engage the answers provided in class as a means of formulating their own understanding of the state and its relationship to the people in it. Prerequisites: PHIL 171, 201.