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Politics and Reason

Marc Stier

Course Outline and Reading list

Introduction (January 9)

The Modern Revolt Against the Ancients: Naturalism, Representationalism and The Assimilation of Moral and Political Philosophy to Natural Science

Aristotelian Metaphysics and Epistemology (January 11)

The Origins of Naturalism

Foundations of Naturalism: Representationalism and Scientism (January 16)

  • Discovery or Invention, chapter 1, §§1-4

Naturalist Metaphysics: Materialism and Physicalism (January 18)

  • Discovery or Invention, chapter 1, §§5-7

Naturalist Epistemology: Epistemology as Framework (Foundationalism & Coherentism) (January 23)

  • Charles Taylor, "Overcoming Epistemology"
  • Discovery or Invention, chapter 1, §§8-10

The Subjectivist View of Human Ends and Action (January 25)

  • John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book II, chapter 22
  • Discovery or Invention, chapter 1, §§11-14, 17

Naturalism and Liberal Political Philosophy (January 30, February 2)

  • Discovery or Invention, chapter 1, §§15
  • The Trouble With Liberalism, chapter 1
  • Politics and Reason, §7

Contemporary Versions of Naturalism

The Critique of The Subjectivism (February 5)

  • Gilbert Ryle, The Concept of Mind, chapters 2 and 3
  • Norman Malcolm, Problems of Mind, chapter 1
  • Discovery or Invention, §§ 18-19

The Behaviorist Conception of Human Ends and Action (February 8)

  • B. F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity, selections
  • Discovery or Invention, §§ 20-24

The Naturalist Critique of Political And Moral Philosophy: Emotivism (February 13)

  • C. L. Stevensen, "The Emotive Meaning of Ethical Terms"
  • The Trouble With Liberalism, chapter 6

Contemporary Naturalism, the Scientific Study of Society and Technocracy (February 15)

  • Brian Fay, Social Theory and Political Practice, chs. 2, 3
  • The Trouble With Liberalism, §§ 6d, 16
  • Discovery or Invention, §16

The Failure of Naturalism (February 20)

  • Discovery or Invention, §§29-32

A Second Modern Tradition: Interpretavism, Hermeneutics and the Independence of Political and Moral Philosophy

Interpretation, Hermeneutics and the Critique of Naturalism in Social Science

Interpretation and Human Actions (February 27)

  • J. Donald Moon, The Logic of Political Inquiry, section 3
  • Discovery or Invention, §§33-39

Interpretation and Rules, Social Practices and Constitutive Meanings (February 29)

  • Discovery or Invention, §§41-46

The Constitutive Character of Language (March 12)

  • Discovery or Invention, §§47-49 (50-51 recommended)

Socialization and Reflection (March 14)

  • Discovery or Invention, §§58-61

Interpretavism and the Critique of Naturalism and Representationalism

The Critique of Epistemology as Framework: Foundationalism (March 19)

  • J. Donald Moon, "The Logic of Political Inquiry," section 2
  • Discovery or Invention, §55

Interpretavism and The World As It Is In Itself (March 19)

  • Discovery or Invention, §52-54, 56

Interpretavism and Representationalism (March 21)

  • Discovery or Invention, §57
  • Andy Clark, Microcognition, pp. 83-105

Interpretation and Moral And Political Thought

Historicism, Relativism and Existentialism (March 26)

  • J. P. Sartre, "Existentialism is a Humanism"
  • Michael Walzer, Spheres of Justice, selections
  • The Trouble With Liberalism, §§ 20-25, 39-41
  • Politics and Reason, §§9-11

The Limits of Interpretavism (March 28)

  • Discovery or Invention, §63-69

Naturalism, Historicism and the Problems of Liberal Democracy (April 2)

  • The Trouble With Liberalism, §42 e

New Approaches: Critical Interpretavism and Pragmatic Rationalism

Critical Interpretavism and the Possibility of a Substantive Account Of Human Nature

Wants and Desires (April 4)

  • Discovery or Invention, §70-80

The Possibility of Universal Human Wants (April 4)

  • Discovery or Invention, §82-84

Human Nature And Political and Moral Philosophy: The Possibility of Reasoning About The Human Good and Critical Political and Social Theory

Substantive Rationality (April 9)

  • Politics and Reason, chapter 4

Individual and Common Good (April 11)

  • Politics and Reason, chapter 5

Theory and Practice (April 11)

  • Politics and Reason, chapter 6

The Pragmatic Rationalist Account of Rationality (April 16)

Rationality

  • Discovery or Invention, chapter 5
  • Politics and Reason, chapter 7, §36

Ideal Rationality, Substantive and Formal

  • Politics and Reason, chapter 7, §37-39

Truth

Reason and Human Rights: An Overview (April 18)

An Overview of the Principles of Political Right

  • Politics and Reason, chapter 8 (chapter 9 recommended)

Civil Liberty

  • Politics and Reason, chapter 10

Conclusion: The Right and the Good (April 23)

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