Ancient Political Thought

This course is a comparative study of ancient political thought, which unfolds through a survey of select texts within the Chinese and Greek traditions. Although we will be sensitive to the particular historical contexts within which the works studied were produced, and which thus conditioned them in important ways, we will not treat them as mere historical curiosities. On the contrary, we will aim to appreciate both how many contemporary political concepts and values have their origins in the ancient world, and also how these texts continue to speak to our present situation through their commentary on fundamental issues of political ontology. Topics studied, for example, will include the role of virtue in governance; the relevance of aesthetics to politics; human nature; education and socialization; political knowledge and specialization; the public vs. the private sphere; the question of the best regime; the nature of democratic life; and many more.