Liberalism and Its Philosophical Critics

(Cross-listed as PHIL 140 and CVS 140) The course examines seminal writers of the Left and Right – Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Schmitt, among others – who developed critiques of the West’s modern liberal project centered on the promotion of individual self-interest. Among the specific topics explored: the charge that liberalism promotes domination and division in a de-politicized environment; the debate as to whether science and technology are neutral goods or instruments of power; a discussion of the relationship between liberalism and the development of nihilism and moral groundlessness; the argument as to whether globalization or the nation is the central organizing structure for modern people; the distinction between soft, commercial power and hard, military power as modes of foreign domination; the examination of points of continuity and differences in Left and Right criticisms of liberalism and the successes and failures of their respective attempts to overcome liberalism’s problems. There will be regular discussion in class of past and present movements in opposition to liberalism and the contemporary plights of Western civilization. Recommendations: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor.