Course II: The Enlightenment: The Origins
of
the Modern Political World
the Modern Political World
8 weeks - Mondays, October 22 - December 17, 1:30 - 3:00 PM
No class Monday, Nov 12 (Veterans Day)
Course Book: Pagden, Anthony. The Enlightenment: And Why It Still Matters (2013)
Course Description:
Explore the thought of a dozen major 18th century Enlightenment philosophers whose ideas on republican government, natural law, universal human rights, separation of church and state, reason-based ethics, modern economics and more shaped the world we live in today. Understand what influenced them and how they inspired the 75 year Age of Revolution that began with the American Revolution in 1775 and included the tumultuous French Revolution of 1789. Also learn of their aspirations for a "cosmopolitan" world of international cooperation that anticipated many contemporary organizations including the United Nations, The International Court of Justice, and the International Red Cross.
What to read before the first day of class...
To be most prepared for the course, the best thing you could do is to read the Preface, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2 of Anthony Pagden's The Enlightenment and Why It Still Matters. (This totals 84 pages). Chapter 1 repeats the most important points from the Prelude to the Enlightenment course and is most important for those who did not take that course. Chapter 2 is important for everyone as it continues the discussion on "moral sentiment" we began the last day of the first course and we will continue this topic on the first day of class.
For those who do not have time to read these three things, the minimum you should read is this webpage (click here) that summarizes the main points of the first course, and then read Chapter 2.
List of Enlightenment philosophers in this course
Course Syllabus:
Session 1: Course Introduction / Overview of the Enlightenment
Read Chapter 1: "All Coherence Gone" (41 pages)
and Chapter 2: "Bringing Pity Back In" (31 pages)
Session 2: Read Chapter 3: "The Fatherless World" 53 pages
Session 3: Read Chapter 4: "The Science of Man" 51 pages
Session 4: Read Chapter 5: "Discovering Man in Nature" 43 pages
Session 5: Read Chapter 6: "The Defense of Civilization" 50 pages
Session 6: Read Chapter 7: "The Great Society of Mankind" 36 pages
Session 7: Read Chapter 8: "The Vast Commonwealth of Nature" 44 pages
Session 8: Conclusion: Thinking about the Enlightenment
Read: Chapter 9: "The Enlightenment and its Enemies" (p. 374 - 408)
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