Introduction to Political Theory
Required materials:
Slack
Be sure to join our course's Slack group, where you can interact with your fellow students and me, ask questions, discuss course, concepts, etc.
- Invitation link (expires 12 February, 2018) on the syllabus -- keeping private so only our class joins
- Download application direct from slack.com or from the relevant app store
Recommended Supplementary Readings:
- Aristophanes and Plato, Four Texts on Socrates. Trans. Grace and Tom West. ISBN: 0801485746
- http://amzn.to/2EiO0Ca ($13.48)
- Aristotle, The Politics. 2nd Edition. Trans. Carnes Lord. ISBN: 0226921840 [1st edition also acceptable]
- http://amzn.to/2CBDRQx ($15.00)
- Machiavelli, The Prince. Trans. Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr. ISBN: 0226500446
- http://amzn.to/2CEMsSU ($7.43)
- Plato, Republic. Trans. Allan Bloom (Basic Books) ISBN: 0465094082
- http://amzn.to/2D2xZAZ ($15.63)
- Rousseau, First and Second Discourses. Trans. Roger Masters. (St. Martin’s Press). ISBN: 0312694407
- http://amzn.to/2CAFOgf ($19.82)
- Locke, John. Second Treatise of Government.(Hackett Publishing) ISBN: 9780915144860
- http://amzn.to/2Df5U9B ($9.50)
Slack
Be sure to join our course's Slack group, where you can interact with your fellow students and me, ask questions, discuss course, concepts, etc.
- Invitation link (expires 12 February, 2018) on the syllabus -- keeping private so only our class joins
- Download application direct from slack.com or from the relevant app store
Recommended Supplementary Readings:
Books: If you're interested in some different books that might be helpful for going into great depth on some of the authors and/or topics relevant to political philosophy, these are some you may wish to consider.
Articles and Book Chapter PDFs:
- A few books give chapter-length treatments of key political philosophers that address the high points of their thought and introduce interesting questions for the student who is looking to explore them a little more.
- History of Political Philosophy (Strauss, Cropsey) amzn.to/2BsZn8O
- Key Texts of Political Philosophy: An Introduction (Pangle & Burns) amzn.to/2Gi9O2M
- Political Questions (Arnhardt) amzn.to/2DAsVTY
- The Ironic Defense of Socrates: Plato's Apology (David Leibowitz) amzn.to/2rHtr0Q
Articles and Book Chapter PDFs:
Strauss, Leo. "What is Political Philosophy?" |
Relevant articles of interest:
"Wokeness and Myth on Campus" (New Atlantis Magazine)
"Wokeness and Myth on Campus" (New Atlantis Magazine)
- Discusses the role of myth and mythology in the contemporary scientific world, particularly with attention to contemporary campus protests surrounding speakers and other invited visitors.
- Within the realm of modern scientific method, is there a point at which we will have reached the limit of scientific advancement in human understanding? Will we run out of things to say (viz. explain everything of the physical world) or are we fundamentally limited as human beings, rendering us incapable of grasping the truth of the whole?