PHIL 825 Selected Topics in Social and Political Philosophy: The Good, The Public and The Lucky

Spring Semester 2012 | Evening | Vancouver Campus

INSTRUCTOR   S. Black

TEXT

• Various PDF downloads from the library e-collection

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In response to the Wars of Religion during the seventeenth century political philosophers in the West have sought to explain why religious disagreements should not be resolved by force. One strand of thought has emphasized that the state should remain neutral on ideals of the good life (such as religion) on which reasonable people can disagree. This strand culminated in the work of John Rawls and his followers, whose account of the nature of public reasoning will be the starting point for this course.

Rawls claimed that public reasoning requires citizens to forego appealing not only to their religious convictions but also to controversial moral doctrines, in the course of public deliberation. We begin by examining different conceptions of the standard for public reasoning and criticisms they have attracted. The remainder of the course investigates implications of the idea of public reasoning for a selection of controversies in current theories of justice. The main examples touch on claims about individual desert and responsibility that are regularly made by both philosophers and the general public. For example, it is often argued that justice requires giving people their ‘just deserts’. Even many ‘egalitarians’ contend that while people should be compensated for bad luck, they should be rewarded and punished for decisions under their control. Proposals of this kind ultimately require distinguishing between choice (or free will) and mere circumstance. We will investigate whether distinctions of this kind are any less problematic than the religious evidence many liberals declare to be off limits.

Students should expect to read about two papers per week.

FORMAT

• One seminar per week for a total of three hours (participation is expected)

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Six Short Assignments - 30%
• One Final Paper 5000 words - 70%