Order and Disorder

Undergraduate

Visions of order and fears of disorder underlie most political visions. But what is order, and what is disorder? Where do our ideas and visions of order (or the lack thereof) come from? Is order necessary to politics, to art, to science? What actually generates political orders? Is it top down? Is it bottom up? Can we even know, and if so, how do we know? Where does disorder come from? Is it inevitable? Is it dangerous? Is it fruitful? (All of the above?) What kinds of order are there? What is the relationship between order and disorder, politically and otherwise? This course exams the various conceptions that underlie much of our thinking and habits about politics and other spheres. Readings include both primary and secondary literature, ranging from political theory and history to poetry and anthropology. SO Th 9:25am-11:20am