21H.181
Libertarianism
Explores the history of the ideal of individual liberty in light of contemporary arguments over the proper scope of the regulatory state. Surveys the political theory of freedom and its relationship to other dominant norms (e.g., property, equality, community, republicanism, innovation, and the pursuit of wealth). Revisits the diversity of modern libertarian movements with attention to issues such as abolitionism and the Civil Rights revolution, religious liberty, the right to bear arms, and LGBTQ rights. Concludes with a set of policy and legal/constitutional debates about the role of government in regulating the financial markets, artificial intelligence, and/or the internet.
Spring 2014 · Libertarianism in History
Topics
- Nuts and Bolts (What this Course is about)
- Some Contemporary Libertarian Controversies
- Roots of Modern Freedom (I): The Ancient and Medieval Periods
- Roots of Modern Freedom (II): The Early Modern Period
- Revolutionary Liberty (I)
- Revolutionary Liberty (II)
- Modern Valuations of Liberty as the Ultimate Political and Economic Good (I)
- Modern Valuations of Liberty as the Ultimate Political and Social Good (II)
- Complementary or Contradictory Ideals (I): Property
- Complementary or Contradictory Ideals (III): Communitarianism and Civic Republicanism
- Chattel Slavery and the “Freedom Principle”
- Antislavery and Liberty (I)
- Antislavery and Liberty (II)
- The Rise of Free Exercise in Modern America
- Religious Accommodation and Civil Rights Today
- The Creation of the Modern American Civil Liberties Movement
- The National Security Agency’s Phone Surveillance Program
- The Origins of the 2008 Financial Crisis
- Efficient Markets and the Derivatives Debate
- The Power of Private Regulation
- Boundaries of the Internet
- The Case of Aaron Swartz
Readings
- SES #: 1 · TOPICS: Nuts and Bolts (What this Course is about) · READINGS: No readings assigned.
- Arendt, Hannah. “What Is Freedom?” In The Portable Hannah Arendt . Edited with an introduction by Peter Baehr. Penguin Classics, 2003. ISBN: 9780142437568.
- Reid, John Philip. The Concept of Liberty in the Age of the American Revolution . University of Chicago Press, 1987. ISBN: 9780226708966.
- [S] Hayek, Friedrich A. Selections from “ The Constitution of Liberty .”
- Gellner, Ernest. Conditions of Liberty: Civil Society and its Rivals . Viking Adult, 1994. ISBN: 9780713991147.
- [S] Friedman, Milton and Rose. Selections from “ Free to Choose .”
- [S] Nozick, Robert. Selections from “ Anarchy, State, and Utopia .”
- Berlin, Isaiah. “Two Concepts of Liberty.” In Liberty . Edited by Henry Hardy. Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780199249893.
- Fried, Charles. Modern Liberty and the Limits of Government . W. W. Norton, 2007. ISBN: 9780393330458.
- [S] Locke, John. Selections from “ Second Treatise of Government .”
- [S] Rawls, John. Selections from “ A Theory of Justice .”
- [S] Nozick, Robert. Excerpt from “ Anarchy, State, and Utopia .”
- Marshall, T. H. Citizenship and Social Class, and Other Essays . University Press, 1950.
- [S] MacIntyre, Alasdair. Selections from “ After Virtue .”
- [S] Sandel, Michael J. Selections from “ Democracy’s Discontent .”
- [S] Walzer, Michael. Selections from “ Spheres of Justice .”
- Pettit, Philip. Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and Government . Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780198296423.
- Peabody, Sue, and Keila Grinberg. Slavery, Freedom, and the Law in the Atlantic World: A Brief History with Documents . Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2007. ISBN: 9780312411763.
- Brown, Christopher. “The Problems of Slavery.” Chapter 23 in The Oxford Handbook of the American Revolution . Edited by Edward G. Gray and Jane Kamensky. Oxford University Press, 2015. ISBN: 9780190257767.
- Foner, Eric. The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery . W. W. Norton & Company, 2011. ISBN: 9780393340662.
- Oakes, James S. Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861–1865 . W. W. Norton & Company, 2014. ISBN: 9780393347753.
- Rakove, Jack. “Jefferson, Rights, and the Priority of Freedom of Conscience.” Chapter 3 in The Future of Liberal Democracy: Thomas Jefferson and the Contemporary World . Edited by Robert Fatton and R. K. Ramzani. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. ISBN: 9781403965653.
- ———. Religious Liberty, Vol. 2: The Free Exercise Clause . Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011. ISBN: 9780802865229.
- Capozzola, Christopher. Uncle Sam Wants You: World War I and the Making of the Modern American Citizen . Oxford University Press, 2010. ISBN: 9780199734795.
- Stone, Geoffrey. Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime, from the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism . W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. ISBN: 9780393327458.
- Excerpts from the following materials relating to Klayman v. Obama (2013):
- Cole, David. Enemy Aliens: Double Standards and Constitutional Freedoms in the War on Terrorism . The New Press, 2003. ISBN: 9781565848009.
- Goldsmith, Jack. The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration . W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. ISBN: 9780393335330.
- French, Kenneth R., Martin N. Bailey, et al. The Squam Lake Report: Fixing the Financial System . Princeton University Press, 2010. ISBN: 9781405125048.
Prerequisites & course information
Same subject as 17.035[J] Prereq: None Acad Year 2027-2028: U (Fall) Acad Year 2028-2029: Not offered 3-0-9 units. HASS-H
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2014
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.