The Politics of Absolute Freedom
3.0
creditsAverage Course Rating
Is freedom possible within the complex conditions of modern civilization? We examine this problem through a study of how it was addressed in the rational humanist tradition (Rousseau, Kant, Fichte, Hegel, and Marx). Emphasis will be placed on how members of this tradition conceptualized freedom, how they theorized the nature of modern society, and what they took to be necessary to overcome modern alienation so as to achieve a world of actualized freedom. Utilizing the dialectical methods of intellectual history, we endeavor to learn from, critically evaluate, and discern the political effects of their theoretical innovations and ideological visions. Important top-ics covered will include democracy, liberalism, collectivism, the dialectic, ideology, capitalism, the nation-state, crisis theo-ry, class struggle, exploitation, revolution, and communism. We will explore these topics through close readings of origi-nal texts and systematic argumentation about their real-world implications. Students should expect to come away from the course with a heightened capacity for interpreting the history of ideas and theorizing about the institutional dynamics, ob-jective pathologies, and imaginable possibilities of our infinite-ly complex civilization. Previous coursework in political theory, intellectual history, or philosophy is recommended.
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