17.03 Intro to Political Thought
Spring 2014
Professor: Lucas Stanczyk
Lecture: TR3-4.30 (34-302)
Information:
This class is a survey of major texts in the history of political thought from the Hebrew Bible to the twentieth century. We shall read and discuss some of the most influential works in political philosophy—including Plato’s Republic and Hobbes’ Leviathan—alongside some of the most famous political and economic writings—including The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith and The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels.
In our reading and our class discussions, we shall focus on questions that have been, at one time or another time, politically volatile. Questions such as: Is it permissible to own slaves? What is the best form of government and who should run it? Is democracy an excellent form of government, a sham, or both? Is it better to be rich or poor? Is private property legitimate? Should the state redistribute property? Is it ever morally permissible to go to war? What causes revolutions? Is history progressive? What rights do people have and why do they have them? What is freedom and what makes a citizen free? How much and what kind of freedom should there be? How much and what kind of equality should there be? and so on.
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