Topics of Political Philosophy

Description

This module investigates questions that are both central to political philosophy and of current political importance. They include: What does it take for a political system to be just? Can we support equality of opportunity without also supporting equality of outcome? How can we come to own natural resources? Does global inequality matter as much as national inequality? Is it wrong to contribute to climate change? What do we owe to future generations? Module Aims: This module focuses on central debates in political philosophy, and it is designed to help you develop the skills needed to evaluate them. These skills include reconstructing arguments, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of arguments, and identifying the connections between debates that might initially seem unrelated. These skills are fundamental in all areas of philosophy, but they are also important in many other disciplines. This module investigates questions that are both central to political philosophy and of current political importance. They include: What does it take for a society to be just? How can we come to own natural resources? Does global inequality matter as much as national inequality? Is it wrong to contribute to climate change? Should states recognise the institution of marriage? What do we owe to future generations?   Sample Readings: > Elizabeth Anderson, ‘What is the Point of Equality?’, Ethics 109 (1999): 287–337 > G. A. Cohen, Self-Ownership, Freedom, and Equality (Cambridge University Press, 1995): Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 > Andrea Sangiovanni, ‘Global Justice, Reciprocity, and the State’, Philosophy & Public Affairs 35 (2007): 3–39 > Paula Casal, ‘Why Sufficiency is Not Enough’, Ethics 117 (2007): 296–326 > Julia Nefsky, ‘Consumer Choice and Collective Impact’, in Anne Barnhill, Mark Budolfson, and Tyler Doggett (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Food Ethics (Oxford University Press, 2018): 267–286 Philosophy Area B