Political Philosophy (Philosophy 403)
Dr. Michael Pakaluk
Ave Maria University, Spring 2011
12 noon-1:40 pm
Office hours:
M, W, 11am-12 noon and by appointment
A study of political philosophy through the particular issue of human rights: What is a “right”? What is the basis for
human rights? How are rights enumerated and ordered? Are there different types of rights? Are rights distinctive of
modern thought or present also in classical thought? Is “rights talk” somehow inherently divisive and at odds with
civility and civic friendship? Do rights naturally fit with a concept of the common good? Is talk of human rights
compatible with talk of natural law? What sort of conception of human rights, if any, is endorsed within the Catholic
faith?
Objectives:
To prepare you for playing your rightful role as a citizen in a free society (which is one of the principal, traditional aims
of a “liberal” education) by asking you to reflect on the existence, nature, and basis of human rights.
Books:
The following texts are required and were ordered by the bookstore for this course:
Maritain, Man and the State
Paperback: 219 pages
Publisher: Catholic University of America Press (February 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0813209056
ISBN-13: 978-0813209050
Glendon, A World Made New
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks; 1st edition (June 11, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375760466
ISBN-13: 978-0375760464
Rawls, Collected Papers
Paperback: 672 pages
Publisher: Harvard University Press (March 2, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0674005694
ISBN-13: 978-0674005693
Aristotle, Politics
Hardcover: 720 pages
Publisher: Loeb Classical Library (January 1, 1932)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0674992911
ISBN-13: 978-0674992917
Other readings will be assigned as we go along.
Plan of Readings:
A Problem Posed
Jan. 11 McInerny, “Natural Law and Human Rights” (handout)
The Modern Consensus on Rights
Jan 13 Glendon, World Made New, chapters 1-6
Jan 18 Glendon, World Made New, chapters 7-12
Jan 20 Maritain, Man and the State, chapters 1-2
Jan 25 Maritain, Man and the State, chapters 3-4
Jan 27 Maritain, Man and the State, chapters 5-6
Rights in Classical Political Thought
Feb 1 Aristotle, Politics, Book I; Michael Pakaluk, “Aristotle and the American Founders” (handout) (Patrick
Simmons)
Feb 3 Fred Miller, “Aristotle and the Origins of Human Rights” (hand out) (Elijah Ibarra)
Feb 8 Malcolm Schofield, “Sharing in the Constitution” (hand out)
Rights in Medieval and Early Modern Thought
Feb 10 John Finnis, Aquinas, chapter VII, “The State: Its Elements and Purposes” (handout) (Jackson Egan)
Feb 15 Michael Pakaluk, “Is the Common Good of Political Society Limited and Instrumental?” (handout) (Kevin
McCaffrey)
Feb 17 Brian Tierney, The Idea of Natural Rights, chapters 1-3 (Maureen Bielinski)
John Locke and Human Rights
Feb 22 John Locke, Essays on the Law of Nature (Joseph Thomas)
Feb 24 St. Robert Bellarmine, De Laicis (online) (Conor)
Mar 1 Robert Filmer, Patriarcha (online) (Robb Gallagher)
Mar 3 John Locke, First Treatise on Government (Erik Chavarria)
Mar 8 Spring Break
Mar 10 Spring Break
Mar 15
Mar 17 Richard Hooker, Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, Book I (online) (Travis Speier)
Mar 22 John Locke, Second Treatise on Government (Joseph Lindgren)
Mar 24 C.L. Becker, The Declaration of Independence (online) and Thomas Pain, Rights of Man (online) (Martha Griswold)
Mar 29 Michael Pakaluk, “From Natural Law to Natural Rights in John Locke” (handout) (Chris Scanlan)
Mar 31 John Locke, First and Second Tracts on Government (Andrew Davis)
Apr 5 John Locke, Letters on Toleration (online, use the Mark Goldie collection at the Online Library of Liberty)
(Hilary Horner)
John Rawls and American Pragmatism
Apr 7 Rawls, “Two Concepts of Rules” (Audrey Hubbard)
Apr 12 Rawls, “Justice as Fairness” (Thomas Croteau)
Apr 14 Rawls, “Kantian Constructivism” (Joseph Luminiello), Rawls, “Justice as Fairness, Political not Metaphysical”
(David Clark)
Apr 19 Rawls, “The Idea of an Overlapping Consensus” (Sean Gill) Rawls, “The Idea of Public Reason Revisited”
(Tim Lynn)
Apr 21 Easter Break
Apr 26 Michael Pakaluk, “The Development of John Rawls’ Political Philosophy” (handout)
Apr 28
May 3
Final paper due
Requirements:
Class participation, 20%
Class presentation, 30%
Final paper, 8-10 pages, 50%
Grading:
A is for excellence; B good; C the bare minimum.
Attendance:
each absence must be made up for; more than two absences not made up for will lead to loss of the participation
portion of the grade.
Integrity:
plagiarism and cheating are completely forbidden and will be dealt with severely.
Internet:
no online activity or texting during class.
Workload:
plan on 6-8 hours preparation per week outside of class
Instructional method:
Seminar style, with close reading of select passages
Course description from the catalogue
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY – This course investigates the nature of the political community, understood as the
comprehensive human association, by comparing and contrasting texts from classical and modern authors. The course
focuses on the relationship between the political community and the end of human life, as it is understood in ancient,
medieval, and modern authors. The goal of the course is to understand more clearly our own lives in relation to the
communities to which we belong.
Prerequisites: PHIL 205, 206, 302, 305
Special Needs: Any student who needs an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me
privately at the beginning of the semester to discuss your specific needs. Please also contact the AMU Counseling
Services Office to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Disclaimer:
The instructor reserves the right to change or modify this course and the syllabus for justifiable reasons, subject to
appropriate and timely notice to the students enrolled in this class.