CANCELLED!
PHIL 339 Political Liberalism: Rawls and his Critics (Same as Political Science 339)
"Political Liberalism" is the idea that people who are profoundly divided about moral, religious and philosophical questions can nevertheless live together on free and equal terms in a stable and just society. How is this really possible? For one, won't such people disagree about justice itself? John Rawls' A Theory of Justice (1971) sought to answer this question by establishing two simple principles of justice that would appeal to any rational agent, whatever their particular "conception of the good," while safeguarding the basic civil and political liberties of all. The result is one of the truly great works of moral and political philosophy in the 20th century. We will study the main argument of A Theory of Justice in the first half of the course. In the second half we will turn to powerful criticisms of it put forward by communitarian, feminist and postmodernist thinkers, and Rawls' reformulation of his theory in the light of those criticisms. We should end up with a much deeper appreciation for the problems, promise and prospects of liberalism in the 21st century. Additional authors may include: Seyla Benhabib, Richard Rorty, Michael Sandel, Charles Taylor, Michael Walzer and Iris Young, Format: seminar. Requirements: attendance, participation, preparation; regular short writing assignments or class presentations and a term paper of 10-15 pages
Prerequisites: Philosophy 101 or permission of instructor. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected 6-12). Preference will be given to majors and prospective majors.