Modern political philosophy (2006/2007)

Learning outcomes

The course aims at analyzing and discussing some basic concepts of the Modern tradition of Political Philosophy, such as Sovereignty, Representation, Individualism, Authority, State.

A thorough analysis of some basic texts of that tradition – Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government – will enable students to directly access the conceptual complexity that shapes the modern forms of the political, while a critical reading of those same texts will provide them with specific philosophical strategies of demontage of the anthropological premises on which the very legitimacy of modern political discourse is founded. In other words the course intends to provide students with both analytical and critical tools, in order to enhance their interpretive skills based on text-analysis while shaping an awareness to the wide variety of scholarly readings related to the above mentioned authors and concepts.

References:
T. Hobbes, Leviathan. With selected variants from the Latin edition of 1668, Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis, Cambridge 1994.
J. Locke, Two Treatises on Government and a Letter on Toleration, Paperback edition, Yale U.P. 2003.
Further references will be given during the course.

To be decide