24-Lecture Course: Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114)

August 31, 2010 · 0 comments

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This course uses famous texts to introduce ideas by intellectuals that helped to form the Western political tradition. Some examples of these are the polis experience (Plato, Aristotle), the sovereign state (Machiavelli, Hobbes), constitutional government (Locke), and democracy (Rousseau, Tocqueville). The effects of these ideas are analyzed by Professor Steven B. Smith.

Smith is a Professor of Political Science at Yale University. His focus is on the history of political philosophy and he has been published in numerous journals.

Course Materials

1. Introduction: What is Political Philosophy? (#1)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) Professor Smith discusses the nature and scope of "political philosophy." The oldest of the social sciences, the study of political philosophy must begin with the works of Plato and Aristotle, and examine in depth the fundamental concepts and categories of the study of politics. The questions "which regimes are best?" and "what constitutes good citizenship?" are posed and discussed in the context of Plato's Apology. 00:00 - Chapter 1. What Is Pol...

2. Socratic Citizenship: Plato's Apology (#2)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) The lecture begins with an explanation of why Plato's Apology is the best introductory text to the study of political philosophy. The focus remains on the Apology as a symbol for the violation of free expression, with Socrates justifying his way of life as a philosopher and defending the utility of philosophy for political life. 00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction: Plato, Apology 09:31 - Chapter 2. Political Context of the Dialogue 19:19 - Chapter 3....

3. Socratic Citizenship: Plato's Crito (#3)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) In the Apology, Socrates proposes a new kind of citizenship in opposition to the traditional one that was based on the poetic conception of Homer. Socrates' is a philosophical citizenship, relying on one's own powers of independent reason and judgment. The Crito, a dialogue taking place in Socrates' prison cell, is about civil obedience, piety, and the duty of every citizen to respect and live by the laws of the community. 00:00 - Chapter 1. Was ...

4. Philosophers and Kings: Plato's Republic, I-II (#4)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) Lecture 4 introduces Plato's Republic and its many meanings in the context of moral psychology, justice, the power of poetry and myth, and metaphysics. The Republic is also discussed as a utopia, presenting an extreme vision of a polis--Kallipolis--Plato's ideal city. 00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction 03:04 - Chapter 2. What Is Plato's "Republic" About? 17:38 - Chapter 3. I Went Down to the Piraeus 22:05 - Chapter 4. The Seventh Letter 30:00 - Chap...

5. Philosophers and Kings: Plato's Republic, III-IV (#5)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) The discussion of the Republic continues. An account is given of the various figures, their role in the dialogue and what they represent in the work overall. Socrates challenges Polemarchus' argument on justice, questions the distinction between a friend and an enemy, and asserts his famous thesis that all virtues require knowledge and reflection at their basis. 00:00 - Chapter 1. Polemarchus 08:25 - Chapter 2. Thrasymachus 18:59 - Chapter 3. Gla...

6. Philosophers and Kings: Plato's Republic, V (#6)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) In this last session on the Republic, the emphasis is on the idea of self-control, as put forward by Adeimantus in his speech. Socrates asserts that the most powerful passion one needs to learn how to tame is what he calls thumos. Used to denote "spiritedness" and "desire," it is associated with ambitions for public life that both virtuous statesmen as well as great tyrants may pursue. The lecture ends with the platonic idea of justice as harmony ...

7. The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle's Politics, I, III (#7)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) The lecture begins with an introduction of Aristotle's life and works which constitute thematic treatises on virtually every topic, from biology to ethics to politics. Emphasis is placed on the Politics, in which Aristotle expounds his view on the naturalness of the city and his claim that man is a political animal by nature. 00:00 - Chapter 1. Aristotle: Plato's Adopted Son 12:45 - Chapter 2. Man Is, by Nature, the Political Animal 30:15 - Chapt...

8. The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle's Politics, IV (#8)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) The lecture discusses Aristotle's comparative politics with a special emphasis on the idea of the regime, as expressed in books III through VI in Politics. A regime, in the context of this major work, refers to both the formal enumeration of rights and duties within a community as well as to the distinctive customs, manners, moral dispositions and sentiments of that community. Aristotle asserts that it is precisely the regime that gives a people a...

9. The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle's Politics, VII (#9)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) This final lecture on Aristotle focuses on controlling conflict between factions. Polity as a mixture of the principles of oligarchy and democracy, is the regime that, according to Aristotle, can most successfully control factions and avoid dominance by either extreme. Professor Smith asserts that the idea of the polity anticipates Madison's call for a government in which powers are separated and kept in check and balance, avoiding therefore the e...

10. New Modes and Orders: Machiavelli's The Prince (chaps. 1-12) (#10)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) The lecture begins with an introduction of Machiavelli's life and the political scene in Renaissance Florence. Professor Smith asserts that Machiavelli can be credited as the founder of the modern state, having reconfigured elements from both the Christian empire and the Roman republic, creating therefore a new form of political organization that is distinctly his own. Machiavelli's state has universalist ambitions, just like its predecessors, but...

11. New Modes and Orders: Machiavelli's The Prince (chaps. 13-26) (#11)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) The discussion of Machiavelli's politics continues in the context of his most famous work, The Prince. A reformer of the moral Christian and classical concepts of goodness and evil, Machiavelli proposes his own definitions of virtue and vice, replacing the vocabulary associated with Plato and the biblical sources. He relates virtue, or virtu, to manliness, force, ambition and the desire to achieve success at all costs. Fortune, or fortuna, is a wo...

12. The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan (#12)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) This is an introduction to the political views of Thomas Hobbes, which are often deemed paradoxical. On the one hand, Hobbes is a stern defender of political absolutism. The Hobbesian doctrine of sovereignty dictates complete monopoly of power within a given territory and over all institutions of civilian or ecclesiastical authority. On the other hand, Hobbes insists on the fundamental equality of human beings. He maintains that the state is a con...

13. The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan (#13)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) Hobbes' most famous metaphor, that of "the state of nature," is explained. It can be understood as the condition of human life in the absence of authority or anyone to impose rules, laws, and order. The concept of the individual is also discussed on Hobbesian terms, according to which the fundamental characteristics of the human beings are the capacity to exercise will and the ability to choose. Hobbes, as a moralist, concludes that the laws of na...

14. The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan (#14)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) The concept of sovereignty is discussed in Hobbesian terms. For Hobbes, "the sovereign" is an office rather than a person, and can be characterized by what we have come to associate with executive power and executive authority. Hobbes' theories of laws are also addressed and the distinction he makes between "just laws" and "good laws." The lecture ends with a discussion of Hobbes' ideas in the context of the modern state. 00:00 - Chapter 1. Intro...

15. Constitutional Government: Locke's Second Treatise (1-5) (#15)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) John Locke had such a profound influence on Thomas Jefferson that he may be deemed an honorary founding father of the United States. He advocated the natural equality of human beings, their natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and defined legitimate government in terms that Jefferson would later use in the Declaration of Independence. Locke's life and works are discussed, and the lecture shows how he transformed ideas previously formulat...

16. Constitutional Government: Locke's Second Treatise (7-12) (#16)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) In the opening chapters of his Second Treatise, Locke "rewrites" the account of human beginnings that had belonged exclusively to Scripture. He tells the story of how humans, finding themselves in a condition of nature with no adjudicating authority, enjoy property acquired through their labor. The lecture goes on to discuss the idea of natural law, the issue of government by consent, and what may be considered Locke's most significant contributio...

17. Constitutional Government: Locke's Second Treatise (13-19) (#17)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) In this lecture, two important issues are addressed in the context of Locke's Second Treatise. First, there is discussion on the role of the executive vis-a-vis the legislative branch of government in Locke's theory of the constitutional state. Second, Locke's political theories are related to the American regime and contemporary American political philosophy. The lecture concludes with John Rawls' book, A Theory of Justice, and how his general th...

18. Democracy and Participation: Rousseau's Discourse (#18)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) This lecture is an introduction to the life and works of Rousseau, as well as the historical and political events in France after the death of Louis XIV. Writing in a variety of genres and disciplines, Rousseau helped bring to fruition the political and intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment. Among his most important works is the Second Discourse (Discourse on Inequality), in which Rousseau traces the origins of inequality and addresses ...

19. Democracy and Participation: Rousseau's Discourse (#19)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) The discussion on the origins of inequality in the Second Discourse continues. This lecture focuses on amour-propre, a faculty or a disposition that is related to a range of psychological characteristics such as pride, vanity, and conceit. The Social Contract is subsequently discussed with an emphasis on the concept of freedom and how one's desire to preserve one's freedom is often in conflict with that of others to protect and defend their own. G...

20. Democracy and Participation: Rousseau's Social Contract, I-II (#20)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) The concept of "general will" is considered Rousseau's most important contribution to political science. It is presented as the answer to the gravest problems of civilization, namely, the problems of inequality, amour-propre, and general discontent. The social contract is the foundation of the general will and the answer to the problem of natural freedom, because nature itself provides no guidelines for determining who should rule. The lecture end...

21. Democratic Statecraft: Tocqueville's Democracy in America (#21)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) With the emergence of democracies in Europe and the New World at the beginning of the nineteenth century, political philosophers began to re-evaluate the relationship between freedom and equality. Tocqueville, in particular, saw the creation of new forms of social power that presented threats to human liberty. His most famous work, Democracy in America, was written for his French countrymen who were still devoted to the restoration of the monarchy...

22. Democratic Statecraft: Tocqueville's Democracy in America (#22)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) Three main features that Tocqueville regarded as central to American democracy are discussed: the importance of local government, the concept of "civil association," and "the spirit of religion." The book is not simply a celebration of the democratic experience in America; Tocqueville is deeply worried about the potential of a democratic tyranny. 00:00 - Chapter 1. The Characteristics of American Democracy: Civil Association 10:50 - Chapter 2. Th...

23. Democratic Statecraft: Tocqueville's Democracy in America (#23)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) Professor Smith discusses the moral and psychological components of the democratic state in the context of Tocqueville's Democracy in America. He goes on to explore the institutional development of the democratic state, the qualities of the democratic individual, and the psychological determinants of the democratic character. The ethic of self-interest is addressed, understood as an antidote to an ethic of fame and glory. Finally, Tocqueville is p...

24. In Defense of Politics (#24)

- Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114) This final lecture of the course is given "in defense of politics." First, the idea and definition of "politics" and the "political" are discussed with reference to the ideas of Immanuel Kant and twentieth-century political scientists, novelists, and philosophers such as Bernard Crick, E. M. Forster, and Carl Schmitt. Patriotism, nationalism, and cosmopolitanism are also addressed as integral parts of political life. Finally, the role of educators...

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24-Lecture Course: Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114)

1. Introduction: What is Political Philosophy? (#1)

2. Socratic Citizenship: Plato's Apology (#2)

3. Socratic Citizenship: Plato's Crito (#3)

4. Philosophers and Kings: Plato's Republic, I-II (#4)

5. Philosophers and Kings: Plato's Republic, III-IV (#5)

6. Philosophers and Kings: Plato's Republic, V (#6)

7. The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle's Politics, I, III (#7)

8. The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle's Politics, IV (#8)

9. The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle's Politics, VII (#9)

10. New Modes and Orders: Machiavelli's The Prince (chaps. 1-12) (#10)

11. New Modes and Orders: Machiavelli's The Prince (chaps. 13-26) (#11)

12. The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan (#12)

13. The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan (#13)

14. The Sovereign State: Hobbes' Leviathan (#14)

15. Constitutional Government: Locke's Second Treatise (1-5) (#15)

16. Constitutional Government: Locke's Second Treatise (7-12) (#16)

17. Constitutional Government: Locke's Second Treatise (13-19) (#17)

18. Democracy and Participation: Rousseau's Discourse (#18)

19. Democracy and Participation: Rousseau's Discourse (#19)

20. Democracy and Participation: Rousseau's Social Contract, I-II (#20)

21. Democratic Statecraft: Tocqueville's Democracy in America (#21)

22. Democratic Statecraft: Tocqueville's Democracy in America (#22)

23. Democratic Statecraft: Tocqueville's Democracy in America (#23)

24. In Defense of Politics (#24)

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