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Episodes
- S1 E1 - Origins and Conflicts of Modern PoliticsMay 29, 201435minKick off the course with a discussion of political philosophy's continuing influence in the world and its major concepts, including democracy, republicanism, and liberalism. Consider moral realism versus moral relativism, and learn how the history of modern political thought has evolved from its formation through its contemporary period. #Music, Philosophy & ReligionFree trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E2 - Ancient Republics, Empires, FiefdomsMay 29, 201430minModern political philosophy emerged, along with the rise of modernity, out of medieval feudalism. Delve into the history of politics leading up to 16th-century Europe, including the development of ancient political organization, the ideas of Plato and Aristotle - the first Western political theorists - and the contributions of medieval philosophy, such as the notion of "just war."Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E3 - Machiavelli's New OrderMay 29, 201429minDoes politics demand behavior that is ethically immoral? Do the ends justify the means? Explore the legacy of Niccolò Machiavelli, the first modern political philosopher and political scientist, who broke with the classical virtue politics of Plato, Aristotle, Rome, and medieval Christianity, establishing a new order of political thought that focused on politics in the real world.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E4 - Hobbes, Natural Law, the Social ContractMay 29, 201432minExplore the first version of social contract theory as espoused by Thomas Hobbes, who based his view on moral relativism and a pessimistic state of nature in which there is a war of all against all. Learn why for society to function, according to Hobbes, the people must give up control to the sovereign, upon which no limits can be placed.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E5 - Locke on Limited Government and TolerationMay 29, 201433minTurn to John Locke and his more "liberal" notion of the state of nature and the social contract, which reinterpreted civic republicanism in terms of the preservation of property. Follow the arguments he presented in his Second Treatise on Government and Letter on Toleration, which ultimately established the foundation of the Anglo-American version of modern republicanism.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E6 - Rousseau's Republican CommunityMay 29, 201432minAs the Enlightenment's greatest champion of equality, Swiss writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau endorsed the social contract - but his ideas differed from Hobbes and Locke in critical ways. Here, examine Rousseau's legacy and thought, which sought to structure modern civil society in a way that might recapture what he saw as the independence and equality of primitive society.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E7 - Kant's Ethics of Duty and Natural RightsMay 29, 201431minImmanuel Kant is attributed with creating one of the two most influential theories of ethics, deontological ethics - the other being utilitarianism - each of which became the background for an enduring view of modern republicanism. In this lecture, examine Kant's fundamental arguments, which are key to understanding much of modern political theory.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E8 - Smith and the Market RevolutionMay 29, 201432minInspired by the commercial success of Holland and England, a number of 18th-century intellectuals argued that a society of self-interested producers is good, despite its flaunting of traditional, classical, and Christian virtues. Investigate these thinkers, including Voltaire and Adam Smith, who each believed commerce promotes liberty, peace, and prosperity.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E9 - Montesquieu and the American FoundingMay 29, 201431minThe complexities of the American Constitution and system of government are a consequence of disagreements between Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. Look at their arguments and contributions to political thought - including the Declaration of Independence, parts of the Constitution, and the Federalist Papers - along with the ideas of Montesquieu.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E10 - Debating the French RevolutionMay 29, 201431minAs the greatest political event of the 18th century, the French Revolution inspired political thinkers around the world. In the first of three lectures tracing the uprising's philosophical impact, delve into the liberal, conservative, and proto-progressive arguments made during "the battle of the pamphlets" - the first intellectual feud over the meaning of the Revolution.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E11 - Legacies of the Revolution - Right to LeftMay 29, 201433minWhere do the political terms "right" and "left" come from? Find out here, in a lecture that explores powerful 19th-century thinkers on both sides of the spectrum, whose reactions to the polarizing French Revolution helped pave the way for more extreme conservatism and anarchist socialism that lasted throughout the century.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E12 - Nationalism and a People's WarMay 29, 201429minPart of the legacy of the French Revolution was the development of two phenomena: nationalism and the modern way of warfare. Look at the philosophical work of military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, who distinguished between "real war" and "pure war" (the latter being the type ushered in by Napoleon), as you consider the novelty and significance of these changes.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E13 - Civil Society - Constant, Hegel, TocquevilleMay 29, 201433minBetween the extremes of left and right, Benjamin Constant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Alexis de Tocqueville made major contributions to political theory by examining the idea of what a free republic can and should be. Examine their writing, which demonstrated that two kinds of republicanism exist: liberal and civic.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E14 - Mill on Liberty and UtilityMay 29, 201430minDespite later declaring himself a socialist, John Stuart Mill is admired by neoliberals and libertarians for his "harm principle" and rejection of paternalism as expressed in On Liberty. Investigate Mill's doctrine of individual liberty and redefinition of utilitarianism, as well as his economic stance, all of which became crucial to subsequent political and economic theory.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E15 - Marx's Critique of CapitalismMay 29, 201431minGerman philosopher Karl Marx's critique of capitalism and vision of communism went unapplied until 1917 in Russia. By 1980, approximately one-third of the world's population lived in countries adhering to his work. Explore Marx's basic claims (formulated in conjunction with Friedrich Engels), which represented the most powerful version of socialism and the greatest threat to liberal capitalism.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E16 - Modern vs. Traditional SocietyMay 29, 201432minThe modern world brought higher standards of living, unprecedented scientific knowledge, and widespread literacy, yet it also undermined tradition and, for many, led to a loss of community. Learn how figures from the newly emerging social sciences, including Max Weber, Sigmund Freud, and Friedrich Nietzsche, changed the intellectual environment in attempting to describe this shift.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E17 - Progressivism and New LiberalismMay 29, 201430minFrom 1900 to 1920, American progressives such as Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and John Dewey argued for an "organic" view of society against the natural rights, atomistic individualism, and limited government of the 19th century. Understand the role, effects, and issues raised by progressivism and new liberalism in America, including the welfare state.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E18 - Fleeing Liberalism - Varieties of SocialismMay 29, 201431minExplore the growing variants of socialism, including a milder, "evolutionary" socialism in western Europe, an intermediate version of "Western Marxist" political theory, and a more radical, authoritarian communism in Russia. Look closely at the ideas of Vladimir Lenin and get a clear explanation of capitalism vs. communism.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E19 - Fleeing Liberalism - Fascism and Carl SchmittMay 29, 201432minIn the 1920s, opposition to bourgeois-led parliamentary democracy split between internationalist socialism and a new nationalist socialism, which came to be called fascism. Explore the roots of fascism and its most sophisticated political thinker, Carl Schmitt, who presents a deep philosophical critique of parliamentary democracy and liberal republicanism.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E20 - Totalitarianism and Total WarMay 29, 201431minExplore the events surrounding World War II, including the role philosophers played and how political philosophers interpreted the new totalitarianism of Russia, Italy, and Germany. Grasp how this period produced our familiar spectrum of international politics, with communism on the far left and fascism on the far right.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E21 - Conservative or Neoliberal - Oakeshott, HayekMay 29, 201430minNeoliberals and economic conservatives disagree widely on many points, but they share a common enemy: expansive, progressive government. See the two paths conservatism took in the post - WWII world and examine the thought these camps produced - all of which serves as background for today's arguments about government and economy.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E22 - Reviving the Public Realm - Hannah ArendtMay 29, 201431minHannah Arendt, one of the 20th century's premier political philosophers, was critical of the modern dominance of economics over politics in both communism and liberal capitalism, and she called for a return to civic republicanism. Here, look closely at the ideas she puts forth in The Human Condition and related works.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E23 - Philosophy vs. Politics - Strauss and FriendsMay 29, 201429minNow, turn to another German émigré philosopher who, like Arendt, probed further into the conflict between politics and philosophy while turning to the ancients for a political approach that avoids the mistakes of modernity. Examine Leo Strauss's work, which has significantly influenced American neoconservatives, and the related writings of his friend, Alexandre Kojève.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E24 - Marcuse and the New LeftMay 29, 201431minAlthough the "old" left declined in the West after WWII, Frankfurt School thinker Herbert Marcuse was able to help create what was sometimes called a Freudian left through a psychological reinterpretation of Marxism. Delve into the New Left of the 1960s and Marcuse's ideas, which critiqued capitalism's seduction of society through the welfare state and culture industry.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E25 - Rawls's A Theory of JusticeMay 29, 201432minIs it just for one man to drive a luxury car and eat at expensive restaurants while another goes homeless and hungry? Consider such questions of justice as you explore the views of John Rawls, whose 1971 A Theory of Justice became the most famous justification of welfare liberalism in the late 20th century.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
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- Audio languages
- English
- Subtitles
- English [CC]
- Producers
- The Great Courses
- Cast
- Lawrence Cahoone
- Studio
- The Great Courses
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