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Liberalism and its Historical Roots
Liberalism is the view in political philosophy that the liberty of the individual is a foundational value. While liberalism undoubtedly owes a debt to ancient philosophers (Aristotle, Cicero), it was first developed in a systematic form in the early-modern period. We will study the expressions of liberalism particularly in the work of John Locke, but also in the work of Charles Montesquieu, Wilhelm von Humboldt and J.S. Mill. We will also investigate the connections between these historical liberals and contemporary liberal thought. We will pay particular attention to the notion of a social contract, the concept of consent, and the arguments of the liberals for freedom of expression and against the centralisation of power. We will also investigate the conception of the individual that liberalism draws upon. Poslední úprava: UFRHILL (08.02.2015)
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Literature: The following texts will be central to the course. Students will not need to read the whole of these textsl, but they are required to read the selections that will be made available as homework each week.
Charles Montesquieu, Spirit of the Laws, CUP, 1989 Wilhelm von Humboldt, The Sphere and Duties of Government, 1852 edition, available on line: http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/589 J.S. Mill, On Liberty, Hackett, 1978 Poslední úprava: UFRHILL (09.02.2015)
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Course Requirements Each week there will be a reading available in the library (and on Moodle) which will be the subject of our discussion in the seminar. The reading is an essential part of the course, and students will quickly lose their way if they do not do it each week. Our course will be graded according to two criteria: attendance and written work. (i) To be eligible for the grade, students should not be absent from the seminar more than three times over the semester. (ii) The written work will be a short essay, of between 1,500-2,000 words on one subject from the course. This essay, written in English, should show knowledge of a philosopher included in the course, and the student’s own argued standpoint. The essay should be handed in on paper by May 1st, 2015. Essays will not be accepted after this date nor will they be accepted in electronic form. It is important that Erasmus students do not leave Prague without discussing their essay with me, as the discussion will contribute towards the final grade.
Poslední úprava: UFRHILL (08.02.2015)
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Course Plan
1. Liberalism: the central issues 2. Non-liberal traditions and the divine right of kings 3. Locke on natural law and natural rights 4. Locke on property 5. Locke on the creation of the state by contract 6. Locke on religious toleration 7. Montesquieu on the separation of powers 8. The American constitution 9. Von Humboldt on individuality and diversity 10. J.S. Mill on freedom of expression 11. Contemporary libertarianism and social liberalism 12. Conclusion Poslední úprava: UFRHILL (08.02.2015)
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