History of Political Thought II: Legitimacy, Equality, and the Social Contract

3 units

Government is often justified as legitimate on the grounds that it is based on the consent of the governed. In History of Political Thought II, Legitimacy, Equality, and the Social Contract, we examine the origins of this view, focusing our attention on canonical works in the social contract tradition, by Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), John Locke (1632-1704), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), David Hume (1711-1776), and Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). This course is the second in a three-semester sequence on the history of political thought. Students are encouraged but not required to take all three courses. Prerequisite: One previous course in political theory or political philosophy.