Modern Theories of Freedom

 

 - The following document has been "wikied" by invitation.  Those wishing to view the original document, by Carrie-Ann Biondi, can find it at www.LibertyStudies.org

 

 

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire!”

       —W. B. Yeats

 

 

REQUIRED TEXTS

 

1. Modern Political Thought, ed. Wootton

2. Freedom: An Introduction with Readings, ed. Warburton

3. A Theory of Freedom, Pettit

4. Occasional handouts of articles

 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

From the catalogue: This course will explore in depth one of the basic philosophic movements or conceptual themes that characterize modernity, such as individualism, natural rights, freedom/liberty, utilitarianism, the enlightenment, secularization, or existentialism. The course will analyze the metaphysical as well as the political presuppositions of the selected theme in relation to its historical context. This course is designed as one of the 300-level courses applicable to the disciplinary concentration in philosophy within the Justice Studies major, and is designed to provide a grounding for 400-level philosophical research on justice issues within that major.  It is also appropriate for philosophy minors and anyone interested in the philosophical basis of the contemporary intellectual landscape.

This semester: The conceptual theme that shall be examined in depth this semester is freedom. The two aspects of freedom that we will explore are psychological freedom (sometimes referred to as personal freedom, internal freedom, or autonomy) and political freedom (sometimes referred to as external freedom, liberty, or negative freedom). We will also explore the relationship between these two aspects of freedom.

 

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

 

Hello!  Welcome to a philosophical discussion of freedom.  The objectives of this course are:

(1) to understand the philosophical dispute over what constitutes psychological and political freedom, and to do so in its historical context;

(2) to explicate in writing and speaking the philosophical arguments concerning freedom presented in the assigned primary and secondary literature; and

(3) to critically evaluate in writing and speaking the philosophical arguments concerning freedom presented in the assigned primary and secondary literature.  This class is about YOU thinking for yourself, in writing and in dialogue with others.

 

 

PLAGIARISM

 

Intellectual dishonesty is a serious offense; not only is it wrong, since it is theft of another person’s intellectual labor, but it is also imprudent, since it undermines the reason for getting an education in the first place: understanding and learning how to think for yourself.  Plagiarism is the passing off of someone else’s work—in whole or in part—as one’s own.  Consult the student handbook on penalties for plagiarism.  The minimum penalty in this course is a zero on the plagiarized assignment.

 

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

 

I take attendance.  Please attend class, be prompt for class, and do not depart early.  There will be a significant reduction in your course grade if absence, lateness, and early departure become a problem.  The reasons for this are that arriving late and departing early are disruptive to others in the class, we cover a lot of material each class meeting, I and other classmates can benefit a great deal from your participation, and “getting philosophy” hinges on you being part of the give-and-take of the dialogue.  ALSO NOTE: Cell phones, beepers, etc. must be turned off while in class.

 

 

CLASS PREPARATION

 

It is essential for you to be prepared for ACTIVE PARTICIPATION in class.  It is not sufficient that you physically be in the class—you also need to be engaged by responding to questions that I pose, raising critical points and questions about the readings, listening to your classmates, and responding to your classmates.  In order to prepare for this active engagement, you need to read and re-read (sometimes several times—the readings are brief but often difficult) the assigned text before the day scheduled to discuss it, “dialogue” with the readings by posing questions in the margins to what the author has written, bring the readings to class, and come to class ready to raise questions and offer commentary on the day’s reading.  All of this is hard work, but it will ensure lively and rigorous class discussion and be your best opportunity to learn.

If you are struggling with the readings, please immediately ask questions in class (since you likely are not the only one with such questions), attend my office hours or set up an appointment to speak with me, and/or e-mail me with questions.  Waiting until the night before an essay is due will be of little help to you in understanding the course material.

 

 

ASSIGNMENTS

 

There are a number of assignments worth various point values.  All due dates can be found in the readings schedule below in bold print, and the discussion leader presentation dates will be agreed to on a separate sheet.  A note about late essay assignments:  they will receive a deduction of half a letter grade per day (not class day, but each day).  I will accept as many rough drafts of your essays until four days prior to the due date as you have the time to work on, but there will be no re-write opportunities.

2 discussion leader presentations = 25 pts. each   (= 50 pts.)

2 3-5 pp. essays    = 50 pts. each (= 100 pts.)

1 5-7 pp. final essay   = 100 pts.

Participation    = 25 pts.

____________________________________________________

     = 275 total possible points

 

 

Discussion leader presentations:

 

You must commit to each one at the beginning of the semester by signing a sheet identifying which two days you will be responsible for—one on psychological freedom and one on political freedom.  There will be no make ups (unless you can demonstrate extenuating circumstances).  The format of your presentation will be as follows:  (1) a 1-2 page summary of the reading where you identify the conclusion(s)/key points and broadly explain the argument, which must be submitted the day of the presentation once you have taken 5-10 minutes to read it to the class; and (2) at least two critical questions that you have about the reading that you pose for the class to consider, which you must make copies of to hand out to me and the rest of the class.

3-5 pp. essay #1:

This first short essay will be about psychological freedom, and can be an expansion/revision of your first discussion leader presentation, though it can be about any of the arguments discussed in Part I of the course.

3-5 pp. essay #2:

This second short essay will be about political freedom, and can be an expansion/revision of your second discussion leader presentation, though it can be about any of the arguments discussed in Part II of the course.

5-7 pp. final essay:

This medium-length essay will explore the connection between psychological and political freedom as discussed in Part III of the course by Pettit in A Theory of Freedom. 

Participation:

You will be assessed on your participatory performance overall throughout the semester.  Though you might not speak up in every class session, you shall be expected to participate regularly.  In addition, the quality of your comments and questions will factor into your participation grade. Empty long-windedness will not be rewarded, while thoughtful concision will be.  In short, exercise your freedom responsibly.   :o)

 

**I will distribute detailed assignment instructions well in advance of each due date.**

 

 

READINGS/DUE DATES

 

 

PART I:  PSYCHOLOGICAL FREEDOM

Week 1

M (8/30) Introduction/ “Do We Have Too Many Choices?” (handout)

W (9/1)  Locke (handout) (183-212)

 

Week 2

M (9/6)  NO CLASS (Labor Day)

W (9/8)  Locke (handout) (442-459)

 

Week 3

M (9/13) Hume (handout) (399-412)

W (9/15) NO CLASS (Rosh Hashanah)

 

Week 4

M (9/20) Hume (handout) (413-438)

W (9/22) Kant, in MPT (573-577) and Kant (handout)

 

Week 5

M (9/27)  Hegel (handout) (35-47)

W (9/29)  Hegel (handout) (47-64) 

 

Week 6

M (10/4) Mill, in MPT (613-628)

W (10/6) Mill, in MPT (636-647) and chap. 4, in Freedom (63-79)

 

PART II: POLITICAL FREEDOM

 

Week 7

M (10/11) NO CLASS (Columbus Day)

W (10/13) Locke, in MPT (312-319)

 

Week 8

M (10/18) Locke, in MPT (319-334)  and  **3-5 pp. essay #1 due**

W (10/20) Rousseau, in MPT (464-474)

 

Week 9

M (10/25) Mill, in MPT (605-613)

W (10/27) Chap. 3, in Freedom (43-61)

 

Week 10

M (11/1)  Mill, in MPT (648-659)

W (11/3)  Mill, in MPT (659-672)

 

Week 11

M (11/8) Marx and Engels, in MPT (826-834)

W (11/10) Marx and Engels, in MPT (834-839 and 845-846)

 

Week 12

M (11/15) Berlin, in Freedom (127-136) and chap. 1, in Freedom (1-23)

W (11/17) Taylor, in Freedom (203-217) and chap. 6, in Freedom (111-123)

 

 

PART III: HOW THE TWAIN CAN MEET

 

Week 13

M (11/22) Pettit, chap. 1

W (11/24) NO CLASS (Thanksgiving break)

 

Week 14

M (11/29)  Pettit, chap. 2

W (12/1)  Pettit, chap. 3  and  **3-5 pp. essay #2 due**

 

Week 15

M (12/6) Pettit, chap. 4

W (12/8) Pettit, chap. 5

 

Week 16

M (12/13) Pettit, chap. 6

TU (12/14) Pettit, chap. 7

 

 

FINALS WEEK (12/17-12/23): M (12/20) 12-2 p.m.

    **Final 5-7 pp. essay due**