Ancients and Moderns

Examines the political thought of Plato and Aristotle and three modern thinkers who were especially animated by these ancient views of politics: Machiavelli, Rousseau, and Nietzsche. Topics include the ends of politics and the nature of good government; the meaning of justice; the value of equality and of hierarchy; the nature of freedom; the role of virtue in political life; and the relationship between philosophy and politics. In reading these ancient and modern thinkers together, we gain a richer understanding of both the quarrels and the continuities between ancient and modern political thought – and the dynamic relationship between them.