Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics

 

 

PLPT 4070                                                                                                                       G. Klosko

Liberalism: Problems and Debates                                                                    381 Gibson; x3092

Spring 2016                                                                                                         gk@virginia.edu

Hours:  Wed. 1 PM - 3 PM

     and by appointment

 

The course has five main themes and an organizing principle.  The themes are: (1) central concepts in liberal political theory; (2) development of the liberal tradition from "classical liberalism" to contemporary liberalism, based on the welfare-state (to which I will refer as "new liberalism"); (3) major criticisms of liberal political theory, both internal and external; (4) liberal discourse: the distinctive way liberal political theory supports its claims, and why it uses this form of argument; (5) global justice.

 

The organizing principle, which will be explored throughout the semester, is that major differences between classical and new liberalism center on conceptions of rights.  Classical liberalism emphasizes Lockean rights and negative liberty.  New liberalism emphasizes the distinction between formal and substantive rights, and so social conditions needed to allow rights to be exercised effectively.

 

Books have been ordered at the University Bookstore.  All books are on reserve in Clemons Library.  Shorter readings are on the class collab page

 

I. Introductory

J. Locke, The Second Treatise on Civil Government, in Two Treatises of Government (Cambridge,

paperback).

 

J. Waldron, "Theoretical Foundations of Liberalism," Philosophical Quarterly, 37 (1987),

            127-50 (collab).

 

recommended: R. Geuss, "Liberalism and Its Discontents," Political Theory, 30 (2002) (collab).

 

                        J. Shklar, "The Liberalism of Fear," in Liberalism and the Moral Life, N. Rosenblum, ed.

                                    (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1989)

 

II. Utilitarian Liberalism

J. Bentham: "Selections from Principles of Legislation," in Introduction to Contemporary             Civilization in             the West (collab)

 

J.S. Mill, On Liberty (Hackett, paperback), Chaps. 1-2 (This is also

            available on the internet; one site is: http://www.bartleby.com/130/)

 

P. Singer, "Famine, Affluence, and Morality," Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1 (1972) (collab).

 

J.Thomson, "Turning the Trolley," Philosophy and Public Affairs, 36 (2008) (collab).

 

Recommended: Stephen, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Chap. 1, “The Doctrine of Liberty in General”    (collab).

 

Recommended: J. Harris, "The Survival Lottery," Philosophy, 50 (1975).

 

III.  Liberal Freedom

I. Berlin, "Two Concepts of Liberty," in Four Essays on Liberty (collab).

 

P. Pettit, Introduction to Republicanism (collab).

 

Recommended: B. Constant, "The Liberty of the Ancients and the Liberty of the Moderns," in Constant:

            Political Writings, B. Fontana, ed. (collab).

 

 

IV. "New" or Welfare-State Liberalism

T.H. Green, "Lecture on Liberal Legislation and Freedom of Contract," in Lectures on the Principles of

            Political Obligation and Other Writings (collab).

 

L. T. Hobhouse, Liberalism, in Hobhouse, Liberalism and Other Writings (Cambridge, paperback).

 

V. John Rawls

J. Rawls,  "Justice as Fairness," Philosophical Review, 67 (1958) (collab).

 

J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Harvard, paperback) (either edition, though I prefer and have ordered

  the original),

            Chaps.I - III;  IV: Secs. 31-35, 38-40; V: Secs. 48, 49; VII: Secs. 63, 66-67; VIII: Secs. 69, 77;

            IX: Secs. 78-82, 86-7.

 

J. Raikka, "Reflective Equilibrium," IVR Encyclopedie (collab).

 

VI. Libertarian Alternative

R. Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia (Basic Books, paperback): pp. 1-231.

 

VII. Communitarianism

 M. Sandel, “The Procedural Republic and the Unencumbered Self,” Political

             Theory 12 (1984) (collab).

 

VIII. Multiculturalism

W. Kymlicka, "Liberalism and the Politicization of Ethnicity," Canadian Journal of Law and          Jurisprudence, 4 (1991). (collab)

 

________. "Do We Need a Liberal Theory of Minority Rights?" Constellations, 4 (1997). (collab)

 

C. Kukathas, "Are There any Cultural Rights?" Political Theory, 20 (1992). (collab)

 

 

W. Kymlicka, "The Rights of Minority Cultures: A Reply to Kukathas," Political Theory, 20 (1992).      (collab)

 

 

IX. Feminist Critique

J. S. Mill, The Subjection of Women, Selections, (collab)

 

S. Okin, Justice and Gender (New York, 1991): Chaps. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 (pp. 110-17, 124-33), 7, 8.

 

 

X . Global Justice: I Rawls's view

 

Rawls, The Law of Peoples (Cambridge, Mass., 1999).

 

Recommended: D. Reidy, "Rawls on International Justice: A Defense," Political Theory, 32, (2004).   

 

XI. Global Justice: II

 

T. Nagel, The Problem of Global Justice," Philosophy and Public Affaires, 33 (2005) (collab).

 

T. Pogge, "Real World Justice," Journal of Ethics, 9 (2005) (collab).

 

M. Risse, "How Does the Global Order Harm the Poor?" Philosophy and Public Affairs, 33 (2005)

            (collab).

 

M. Risse, "What We Owe to the Global Poor," Journal of Ethics, 9 (2005) (collab).

 

D. Miller, "Against Global Egalitarianism," Journal of Ethics, 9 (2005) (collab).

 

 

 

Requirements: 

     1. Optional midterm, and final examinations.  Both of these will be take-home.             

 

      2. Analytical paper, 10-12 pages; due Wednesday April 27.  Papers must be handed in on time.  Late papers will be penalized.  Incompletes will not be given.

 

     3. You must do the reading, come to class, and be prepared to discuss it.  Class participation is taken into account and weighed heavily in grading.   Multiple unexcused absences may result in dismissal from the course or penalties on course grades.

 

Grading: If you choose to do the midterm, it will count 25% of your grade, with paper and final exam each counting 37.5%.  If you do not do the midterm, paper and final exam will  count 50% each.  Class participation will figure in on top of this, with good participation significantly helping your grade.