Political Philosophy

This course is an introduction to contemporary political philosophy. States claim to have a monopoly on the justified use of coercive force. This is a stunning, and perhaps alarming, claim. It's all the more stunning once we recognize that this power is wielded, not merely over non- human animals or children, but over competent adults. Accordingly, the fundamental question of contemporary political philosophy is this: How is authority - i.e., the power to create moral obligations in others by means of commands -possible among free and equal moral persons? Anarchists think this question does not admit of a plausible answer. In this class, we'll see if they're right.

In this course, you will learn about various theories of the moral justification of state power. You will critically evaluate arguments for and against these theories. Finally, you will be trained to write essays in which you argue for your own views about whether and how states can be morally justified in wielding coercive force.