GV150 is the second of a two-part module. With GV151 last term, we study some fundamental texts of the 'Western' philosophical tradition and seek to examine the assumptions underlying these texts as well as the implications they have for us today. We will explore profound themes of truth, justice, democracy, empire, what it is to live "a good life," the self, morality, the fair distribution of resources, the meanings of labour and gender, liberalism, republicanism, the meaning of mass society (particularly as it impacts the individual), and the despairing turn from optimistic anticipation of human emancipation. We will take care to locate these texts in their respective historical contexts to better understand them as political acts. That is, these authors were responding to their particular contexts and trying to effect change.
This term, we move solidly into the modern period, exploring Locke's social contract theory, and his seminal discussion of private property. Rousseau then condemns the modern period and its effects on man. Burke will take social contract theorists to task for their thin understanding of the state. Wollstonecraft introduces us to her brand of feminism and later, Mill introduces his. We discuss Marx's concerns about the effects of capitalism on democracy, and end with Nietzsche, a harbinger of the 20th century.
These texts will often unnerve and unsettle. They are easily misinterpreted and very provocative, dealing with questions that may profoundly disconcert the reader. Be very careful in what you take from these texts. Be attentive and generous in understanding what they are trying to say. Our purpose in engaging with these texts is not to canonize them; rather, it is to understand their contribution to the history of the western world – for better or for worse.
This term, we move solidly into the modern period, exploring Locke's social contract theory, and his seminal discussion of private property. Rousseau then condemns the modern period and its effects on man. Burke will take social contract theorists to task for their thin understanding of the state. Wollstonecraft introduces us to her brand of feminism and later, Mill introduces his. We discuss Marx's concerns about the effects of capitalism on democracy, and end with Nietzsche, a harbinger of the 20th century.
These texts will often unnerve and unsettle. They are easily misinterpreted and very provocative, dealing with questions that may profoundly disconcert the reader. Be very careful in what you take from these texts. Be attentive and generous in understanding what they are trying to say. Our purpose in engaging with these texts is not to canonize them; rather, it is to understand their contribution to the history of the western world – for better or for worse.