Political Thought and Life: From Plato to Climate Change

Political theory is often viewed as overly philosophical, abstract, and inapplicable to contemporary life. Our goal in this course will be to debunk these beliefs by bringing core readings from the tradition of classic political thought into conversation with our world today.  The key theme of this course is that philosophical texts are, indeed, more relevant today than ever, and can help us to address some of the pressing challenges we face as individuals and as a society.  In a series of eight sessions, we will discuss a range of accessible readings from the political theory canon.  For example, we will read Plato’s 'Allegory of the Cave' and compare it to aspects of social media; we will examine short passages from Machiavelli’s The Prince through the lens of the recent rise in autocratic leaders in America and abroad; and we will juxtapose Kant’s 'What Is Enlightenment?' with issues in contemporary environmental activism, and more. Each week we will link classical readings in political thought with life as we experience it today.

More details