PPR320: Political Ideas: Liberal Thought

Tutor: Patrick Bishop
Term: Lent

Course Description

This course examines central themes in the liberal branch of contemporary Anglo-American analytic political philosophy. The liberal positions on justice, liberty, equality, the state, power, rights and utility are all explored. The approach is philosophical rather than applied; its focus is on the ideas of liberal politics: how individual liberty can be maximised while not harming others; how an individual philosophical position can guide political determinants of a society and places the developments of liberal ideas in their appropriate historical contexts. The course also examines the connection between the ideas of liberalism and the idea of democracy to explore the philosophical tensions between the two and how these might be resolved. The course is a survey of major topics and concepts in Anglo-American liberal political ideas. The syllabus will include the following topics: Questions about Justice: Analytic philosophy and liberalism; Visions of the state: Liberalism, Republicanism, Socialism; Liberty and individuality; Liberalism and democracy; Negative and positive liberty; Equality; Utility and rights; Toleration and Multiculturalism: Responses to diversity; Neutrality and the market: private property and public goods; Power: freedom or oppression.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

• Identify the central themes in an argument.
• Compare and contrast differing political arguments and assess their validity.
• Demonstrate an ability to apply theory to empirical cases and problems.
• Demonstrate an understanding of key concepts in liberal democratic political thought.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how ideas influence and shape politics.
• Be able to review and assess the major texts/thinkers under review demonstrated through verbal and written assessment.
• Articulate their own position in relation to the thinkers/themes of the course.

Assessment

40% coursework and 60% exam.
Coursework: 1 essay of 3000 words. Exam: 2 hours.

Teaching Method

Lecture (1.5 hours) and seminar (1 hour) weekly.

Introductory Reading

Held D Models of Democracy

Kymlicka W Contemporary Political Philosophy

Goodin R E & Pettit P A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy

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