Modern Political Thought: Hobbes, Locke and RousseauNature, Obligation and Contract

-Michaelmas 2006

ContentThe course is intended to acquaint you with topics and concepts central to the works of Tho-mas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, with a particular emphasis on (1) the contributions of these three philosophers to the history of political thought, and (2) the rele-vance of their work to contemporary political philosophy.ObjectivesThe course is devised so as to (1) develop a range of philosophical skills and (2) acquire subject-specific knowledge. We will focus on Constructing and assessing critical arguments in political theory. Identifying problems of consistency and justification. Gaining acquaintance with major moral and political concepts Developing a historically sensitive understanding of the importance and influence of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau on the modern landscape of political theory.TeachingTeaching will be delivered in 7 tutorials. Precise arrangements to be confirmed.As the title of the course suggests, the guiding theme of tutorials will be Nature, Obligation and Contract. We will approach our study of Hobbess, Lockes and Rousseaus political theories through these concepts, gradually developing an understanding of the conceptual characteristics these theories share, as well as their differences, culminating with a compara-tive discussion of the role and viability of the idea of a social contract.I have selected topics for our first three tutorials, along with essay questions and reading. For our three subsequent meetings, a list of possible topics is provided, but we will ultimately agree on these jointly. Essay questions and reading will be assigned accordingly. Likewise, our final tutorial topic should bring together the material covered during the course and should deal with the nature and role of the social contract. A suggested topic and essay question are provided, but you shouldnt feel obligated to choose it. We can decide on specifics during the term. The course outline is thus as follows:

Tutorial 1:Human Nature, Conflict and Cooperation (Hobbes)Tutorial 2:Natural Law and Natural Rights (Locke)Tutorial 3: Political Obligation and Social Contract (Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau)Tutorials 4, 5 and 6:Possible topics include but are not limited to:

Government by Consent (Locke, Rousseau, Hobbes)Property Rights (Locke)The General Will (Rousseau)Political Obligation and Toleration (Locke, Hobbes)Factions and Democracy (Rousseau, Hamilton, Mill)Natural Law (Locke, Hobbes)The Social Contract Today (Locke, Rousseau, Rawls, Dworkin)Personal Identity and Free Will (Locke)The Tyranny of the Majority (Rousseau, Mill, de Tocqueville)Inequality and its Origins (Rousseau)

See below for detailsTutorial 7: The Idea of a Social Contract

EssaysYou will be expected to prepare one essay per week. Essays should be approximately 1500 - 2 000 words long. Notes on how to write a philosophy paper can be found here. Please in-clude a full bibliography at the end of the paper and full references for all quotations, para-phrases, etc. Please submit your essay to me by email at least 24 hours before the tutorial. That way I will be able to read it before the tutorial.Please note that plagiarism will not be tolerated.ContactIf you have questions about any of the information in this outline, please feel free to contact me. davide.cargnello@philosophy.ox.ac.uk. 07958 7957 40 (mobile)

Modern Political Thought: Hobbes, Locke and RousseauCourse Outline

______________________________________________________________________Tutorial 1: Human Nature, Conflict and Cooperation (Hobbes)

Essay questions:

What is the theory of human nature that motivates Hobbes? Is it compelling? Is it true?or:Compare the role of the state of Nature in Hobbes and Locke.

Reading:

Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Introduction and Part I (Chapters 1-16). Recommended edi-

tion: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Ed. Richard Tuck.Locke, John. Second Treatise of Government. Recommended edition: Hackett, 1980. Ed.

C.B. Macpherson.

Further ReadingRyan, Alan. Hobbess Political Philosophy in The Cambridge Companion to Hobbes, ed. Tom

Sorell (Cambridge University Press, 1996). pp. 208-245. (If time is short, focus especially on the section dealing with the state of nature.)

E.J. Lowe. Locke (Routledge, 2005). Chapter 6: Liberty and Toleration, pp. 160-197 (but fo-cus especially on the section entitled The State of Nature and the Nature of Man).

Malcolm, Noel. A summary biography of Hobbes in The Cambridge Companion to Hobbes, ed. Tom Sorell (CUP, 1996). pp. 13-44.

______________________________________________________________________Tutorial 2: Natural Law and Natural Rights (Locke)

Essay question:What are natural rights according to Locke? Do we have any?

Reading:Locke, John. Second Treatise of Government. Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Introduction and Part I (Chapters 1-16). (Begin reading Part II.)MacDonald, Margaret. Natural Rights, in Theories of Rights, ed. Jeremy Waldron (Oxford

University Press, 1984. pp. 21-40.H. L. A. Hart. Are there any natural rights?, in Theories of Rights, ed. Jeremy Waldron (OUP,

1984). pp. 77-90.Lowe, E. J. Locke (Routledge, 2005). Chapter 6: Liberty and Toleration, pp. 160-197. Com-

plete this chapter.Kavka, Gregory S. Hobbesian Moral and Political Theory (Princeton University Press, 1986).

Chapter 8: The Right of Self-Preservation. pp.315-337.

Further Reading:

Milton, J.R. Lockes life and times, in The Cambridge Companion to Locke, ed. Vere Chap-pell (CUP, 1994). pp. 5-25.

Richard Ashcraft. Lockes political philosophy, in The Cambridge Companion to Locke, ed. Vere Chappell (CUP, 1994). pp. 226-251.

______________________________________________________________________Tutorial 3: Political Obligation and Social Contract (Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau)

Essay question:Is the idea of a contract a good way of explaining why we ought to do things even though we do not want to? Is it a good way of explaining anything else?

Reading:Locke, John. Second Treatise of Government. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. The Social Contract.Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Complete Part II.Christopher Bertram. Rousseau and the Social Contract (Routledge, 2004). Chapters 2-5. pp.

17-96.

Further Reading:

Kavka, Gregory S. Hobbesian Moral and Political Theory (Princeton University Press, 1986). Chapter 5: Founding the State. pp.179-244 and Chapter 10: Political Obligation. pp.385-418.

______________________________________________________________________Tutorial 4: The General Will (Rousseau)Essay question:Explain and comment on Rousseaus distinction between the general will and the will of all.Reading:As discussed in class: chiefly, Rousseaus The Social Contract, Christopher Bertrams Rout- ledge analysis and Rousseau by John Morley, Chapter XII. ______________________________________________________________________Tutorial 5: Factions and Democracy

Essay question:If faction is the danger of democracy, what is the remedy?Reading:

J.-J. Rousseau, The Social ContractA. Hamilton, J. Jay, J. Madison, The Federalist Papers (Nos 10, 45-51, 78-81)D. Hume, Of the Independency of Parliament, and Of Parties in General, in E. Miller (ed.),

David Hume: Essays Moral, Political and LiteraryJ.S. Mill, Representative Government, Chs. 6, 7, 8.A. de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. 1, Chs. 15, 16.Further Reading:R. Dworkin, Taking Rights Seriously (London: Duckworth, 1977), passim (but see especially

Chs. 7, 8, 10, 11, 12).J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Oxford: OUP, 1972), Ch. 6, (esp. sect. 54).P. Singer, Democracy and Disobedience (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1973).______________________________________________________________________Tutorial 6: The Tyranny of the Majority

Essay question:Are there any decisions a democratic majority is not entitled to take? Why not?Reading:

Same reading as for previous week, but complete the further reading.

J.-J. Rousseau, The Social ContractA. Hamilton, J. Jay, J. Madison, The Federalist Papers (Nos 10, 45-51, 78-81)D. Hume, Of the Independency of Parliament, and Of Parties in General, in E. Miller (ed.),

David Hume: Essays Moral, Political and LiteraryJ.S. Mill, Representative Government, Chs. 6, 7, 8.A. de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. 1, Chs. 15, 16.R. Dworkin, Taking Rights Seriously (London: Duckworth, 1977), passim (but see especially

Chs. 7, 8, 10, 11, 12).

J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Oxford: OUP, 1972), Ch. 6, (esp. sect. 54).P. Singer, Democracy and Disobedience (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1973).

______________________________________________________________________Tutorial 7: The Idea of a Social Contract - TBC

Possible essay question:Assess the competing political theories of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, focusing in particu-lar on the social contract. Does either of them get it right?______________________________________________________________________

D P CargnelloHertford College

Michaelmas 2006