Seminar: Enlightenment Political Thought

Examination of the political theory of the Enlightenment, focusing on David Hume, Adam Smith, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Diderot. Consideration of the ways the Enlightenment inspired our liberal democratic politics, market capitalist economies, embrace of technological progress and scientific inquiry, and toleration of religious pluralism. Assessment of recent critiques of the Enlightenment that claim that it entails an archaic belief in universal moral and political foundations, blind faith in reason, and a reductive and isolating focus on the individual. Recommendations: PS/PHIL 041 or 042, or consent.