Why Study This Course?
We will be examining important questions raised by political philosophy, such as: are there any good, rational reasons why we should obey the laws of the state? What makes political authority legitimate, and when is it illegitimate and open to resistance? What is the proper relationship between the power of the state and the freedom of the Individual? What do we really mean when we talk about freedom anyway? Can we really talk about ‘progress’ when it comes to the development of societies and culture, and what are the implications of an answer to this question? In exploring these ideas and others, we will come across the work of range of philosophers from the ancient Greeks, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and modern thinkers.