74786 - Political Philosophy

Learning outcomes

Political Philosophy is conceived as the application of philosophical investigation to politics and thus as a study of the contribution that philosophy may give to political practice. This implies both a clarification of the terms used in our everyday political vocabulary and an attempt at designing models of a just society. The course intends to provide the students with the following abilities: a) notions on methodology in historical investigation; b) ability to analytically read a text while at the same time situating it into the historical and linguistic context of the age; c) knowledge of the perennial tasks of political philosophy; d) an introduction to political realism.

Course contents

Module 1. Economic Justice, Ancient and Modern

If it is true that Aristotle discovered the economy, as the historian Karl Polanyi argued in 1957, he certainly had in mind something different from the modern notion of economy. And he definitely passed a negative judgment on what we now call ‘capitalism’. In this course, we will explore some visions of economy, ancient and modern, that see the economy as a means to support human flourishing rather than a tool for acquiring goods and wealth. Our starting point will be Aristotle’s distinction between a good form of work for profit, which is the foundation for the search for the human good- happiness; and a bad form of work for profit, which is unnatural because it aims at the accumulation of wealth, chrematistic, which is “against nature”. In the 19^th century, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels drew on this Aristotelian distinction to argue against the ‘alienation’ determined by the capitalistic mode of production and to present communism as the real humanism. In the early 20^th century, authors such as Hilaire Belloc and G.K. Chesterton, the so-called ‘Distributists’, proposed an economic view alternative to both capitalism and socialism, grounded in the importance of the human person. Finally, Herbert Marcuse, in his Eros and Civilization (1955), imagines that machines will replace human beings in labouring activities, and men will be able to regain a full, meaningful life, devoted to implementing the most typical human potentialities.

The first class will be devoted to a clarification of the notion of 'political philosophy' and to an account of the methodology in the history of political thought.

Module 2. The just society: unending quest

Module 2 is devoted to the search for a just society. We will read John Rawls, the author who put back the notion of justice at the centre of political philosophy and who wrote the milestone treatment on the subject in the 20th century.

The course is offered in the second semester and classes will start in February 2027.

 

Readings/Bibliography

Required readings

For module 1 we will read selected parts of the following works:

Aristotle, Politics, translated by Carnes Lord, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013; ISBN: 978-0226921846.

Friedrich Engels, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, London, Penguin, 2010; ISBN: 978-0141191119.

Hilaire Belloc, The Servile State (1912), Milwaukee: Cavalier Books, 2018; ISBN: 978-1948231053.

G.K. Chesterton, In Defense of Sanity, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011; ISBN: 978-1586174897.

Herbert Marcuse, Eros and Civilization (1955), New York: Beacon Press, 2025; ISBN: 978-0807018811.

For module 2 we will read selected parts of:

J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Harvard: The Belknap Press, 1999.

J. Rawls, The Law of Peoples, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2001.

 

Teaching methods

30 classes of 2 hours each for a total of 60 hours. 

Module 1 (Prof. Giorgini) consists of 40 hours.

Module 2 (Prof. Scudieri) consists of 20 hours.

The course is offered in the second semester and classes will begin in February 2027.

Assessment methods

The final exam will consist in an oral discussion at the end of the course. During this discussion the instructor will evaluate the student's ability to identify the central notions of a text, to examine them critically and to argue consistently.

Students who attend the classes have the option to write a paper on a subject agreed with the instructors. The final exam will be in English; however, students who prefer to take it (or to write the paper) in Italian are welcome to do so.

People with disabilities and SLD

People with disabilities or specific learning disorders are entitled to special adaptations in relation to their condition, subject to assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the teacher, but contact the Service for an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine which adaptations are appropriate. More information on page site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it/per-studenti.

 

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Giorgini

See the website of Alina Scudieri