Enlightenment Political Thought
- Course Code
- PSCI 0050
- Course Type
- Tutorials
- Subject Credit
- Course Availability
The legacy of Enlightenment thinkers has left an indelible mark on Western political thought. This course aims to introduce students to the main intellectual and political currents of the Enlightenment. It begins with an analysis of philosophical and political rationalism. It examines debates pertaining to concepts such as rights, obligations, power, progress, refinement, liberty, equality and political sovereignty. It traces the development of political ideas and practices through the eighteenth century and shows how Enlightenment political thought served as the impulse to the political radicalism of revolutionary Europe.
Sample Topics:
David Hume, Political Essays
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
Denis Diderot, Political Writings
Voltaire, Political Writings
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origins of Inequality
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract
J.-A.-N.C. Marquis de Condorcet, Sketch on the Progress of the Human Mind
Immanuel Kant, What is Enlightenment?
Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man
Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Women