Political Philosophy
A.Y. 2022/2023
Learning objectives
The main objective of the course is to promote students' understanding of key concepts in political philosophy, such as equality, liberty, justice and legitimacy. More precisely, the course aims at providing students with insights about the different accounts of similar concepts and about how to examine them and to comparatively assess their implications. The course also intends to show how the tools provided by political philosophy can contribute to the analysis of political dynamics and how similar tools can be employed to tackle controversial public questions
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
Students are expected to acquire in-depth knowledge concerning key concepts in political philosophy and a clear understanding about how similar concepts are interpreted by different philosophical theories. Moreover, students are expected to acquire competences apt to comparatively assess different philosophical approaches and to critically discuss their merits and limits, taking into account both their theoretical consistency and their practical import.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
Students are expected be able to apply their acquired knowledge and competences to problems central in current public debates. The course indeed offers insights about the relationship between theoretical approaches and models, on the one hand, and practical questions, on the other, by framing the philosophical theories under examination with respect to issues that animate the ongoing public discussion.
Making judgment
Student's are expected to acquire an increased propensity for autonomous judgment and strengthened critical skills. Indeed, the course provides a rich set of criteria that can be employed to assess institutions, public decisions, political behaviours or actions. The course also offers methodological insights fruitful to develop and convincingly vindicate the evaluation of political practices and arrangements.
Students are expected to acquire in-depth knowledge concerning key concepts in political philosophy and a clear understanding about how similar concepts are interpreted by different philosophical theories. Moreover, students are expected to acquire competences apt to comparatively assess different philosophical approaches and to critically discuss their merits and limits, taking into account both their theoretical consistency and their practical import.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
Students are expected be able to apply their acquired knowledge and competences to problems central in current public debates. The course indeed offers insights about the relationship between theoretical approaches and models, on the one hand, and practical questions, on the other, by framing the philosophical theories under examination with respect to issues that animate the ongoing public discussion.
Making judgment
Student's are expected to acquire an increased propensity for autonomous judgment and strengthened critical skills. Indeed, the course provides a rich set of criteria that can be employed to assess institutions, public decisions, political behaviours or actions. The course also offers methodological insights fruitful to develop and convincingly vindicate the evaluation of political practices and arrangements.
Lesson period: Second trimester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second trimester
Course syllabus
The course program focuses on the analysis of classical texts and authors and it aims at providing students with in-depth knowledge about key notions and problems in political philosophy, thus promoting understanding of its specific goals and methods.
In particular, the program focuses on texts by Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Kant and it intends to illustrate the distinguishing features of modern contractualism, which are functional to grasp the normative dimension of political philosophy and to familiarize with its major questions.
The preliminary step necessary to examine the relevant texts consists in comparing the Aristotelian model with the contractualist model. Such a comparison is indeed relevant to better understand why contractualism offers a properly normative perspective on politics: it emphasizes the possibility to develop rigorous criteria for distinguishing between acceptable and unacceptable institutional arrangements or between just and unjust political practices. More precisely, contractualism interprets public authority and political institutions, not as naturally given, but as the outcome of individuals' choice and of agreements among individuals. Accordingly, contractualism vindicates the meaningfulness of assessing whether current political assets are justified or should be rejected.
On this background, the program illustrates the tools contractualism provides for developing and justifying criteria apt to define which institutions should be implemented or which constraints political power should respect, thus offering useful insights to address questions connected to political obligation and legitimacy. The relevant criteria are vindicated with reference to consensus by individuals, who are intended as autonomous agents capable to identify and agree on the most appropriate solutions. Therefore, familiarity with the basic tenets of contractualism enables, on the one hand, to better understand the implications of grounding political decisions on consensus or agreement and, on the other, to investigate the conditions that make consensus and agreement appropriate references to assess and justify political choices.
The structure of the program is meant to facilitate close comparison between the approaches endorsed by Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Kant. These authors provide different accounts of contractualism and their comparison is fruitful to identify diverse argumentative strategies for investigating political obligation or legitimacy and to gain insights about the various criteria available for assessing political regimes and their institutional arrangements.
Moreover, thanks to the comparison between Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Kant, the program emphasizes that the different solutions to the question of political obligation and legitimacy rely on more basic assumptions concerning human nature and rationality and are grounded on specific understandings of liberty, equality and their implications. By taking into account similar aspects, the program provide insights concerning different conceptualizations of key notions in political philosophy - such as liberty and equality - and different kinds of reason - for instance, moral and prudential - that can be employed to justify political practices and institutions.
In particular, the program focuses on texts by Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Kant and it intends to illustrate the distinguishing features of modern contractualism, which are functional to grasp the normative dimension of political philosophy and to familiarize with its major questions.
The preliminary step necessary to examine the relevant texts consists in comparing the Aristotelian model with the contractualist model. Such a comparison is indeed relevant to better understand why contractualism offers a properly normative perspective on politics: it emphasizes the possibility to develop rigorous criteria for distinguishing between acceptable and unacceptable institutional arrangements or between just and unjust political practices. More precisely, contractualism interprets public authority and political institutions, not as naturally given, but as the outcome of individuals' choice and of agreements among individuals. Accordingly, contractualism vindicates the meaningfulness of assessing whether current political assets are justified or should be rejected.
On this background, the program illustrates the tools contractualism provides for developing and justifying criteria apt to define which institutions should be implemented or which constraints political power should respect, thus offering useful insights to address questions connected to political obligation and legitimacy. The relevant criteria are vindicated with reference to consensus by individuals, who are intended as autonomous agents capable to identify and agree on the most appropriate solutions. Therefore, familiarity with the basic tenets of contractualism enables, on the one hand, to better understand the implications of grounding political decisions on consensus or agreement and, on the other, to investigate the conditions that make consensus and agreement appropriate references to assess and justify political choices.
The structure of the program is meant to facilitate close comparison between the approaches endorsed by Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Kant. These authors provide different accounts of contractualism and their comparison is fruitful to identify diverse argumentative strategies for investigating political obligation or legitimacy and to gain insights about the various criteria available for assessing political regimes and their institutional arrangements.
Moreover, thanks to the comparison between Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Kant, the program emphasizes that the different solutions to the question of political obligation and legitimacy rely on more basic assumptions concerning human nature and rationality and are grounded on specific understandings of liberty, equality and their implications. By taking into account similar aspects, the program provide insights concerning different conceptualizations of key notions in political philosophy - such as liberty and equality - and different kinds of reason - for instance, moral and prudential - that can be employed to justify political practices and institutions.
Prerequisites for admission
No specific preliminary knowledge is required to fruitfully attend the course or take the exam.
Teaching methods
Lectures not only offer preliminary competences concerning the addressed topics, but they also provide appropriate time for: 1. the analysis of the relevant tests, in which students are directly involved; 2. the theoretical reconstruction of the arguments and philosophical approaches endorsed by the relevant authors, which is meant to offer insights to discuss their implications and to critically assess their adequacy: 3. discussion concerning questions that emerge from the analysis of the tests and authors included in the course program, with constant references to their relevance for questions animating current debates.
Teaching Resources
The exam material is different for 1. attendant students and 2. non-attendant students
1. Attendant students
- Bobbio, N. (1976), "Il modello giusnaturalistico", in Bobbio, N. e Bovero, M., Società e stato nella filosofia politica moderna, Milano: Il Saggiatore.
- Hobbes, T. (1651), Leviatano, Laterza - Capitoli: XIII, XIV, XV, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XXI.
- Locke, J. (1690), Secondo trattato sul governo, BUR - Capitoli: II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XIII, XIV, XVIII.
- Rousseau, J.J. (1754), Discorso sull'origine della disuaglianza, Feltrinelli - Prima parte.
- Rousseau, J.J. (1762), Il contratto sociale, BUR - Libro I (intero); Libro II, capitoli: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
- Kant, I. (1784), "Risposta alla domanda: che cos'è l'illuminismo?", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s04.xhtml
- Kant, I. (1793), "Sul detto comune: questo può essere giusto in teoria, ma non vale per la pratica", Seconda parte: "La relazione della teoria con la pratica nel diritto dello stato (contro Hobbes)", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s08.xhtml#controhobbes.
- Kant, I. (1797), Metafisica dei costumi - Paragrafi: 43, 45, 46, 47.
For further insights on the topics addressed during the course, here is a list of suggested readings:
- Matteucci, N. (1983), "Contrattualismo", in Bobbio, N., Matteucci, N. e Pasquino, G. (a cura di), Dizionario di politica, Torino: UTET.
- Friend, C., "Social contract theory", Internet Enclyclopedia of Philosophy: https://www.iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/
- Besussi, A. (2012), "Neocontrattualismo e teorie della giustizia", in L. Cedroni e M. Calloni (a cura di), Filosofia politica contemporanea, Milano: Le Monnier.
- Lloyd, S.A. e Sreedhar, S. (2018), "Hobbes's Moral and Political Philosophy", in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hobbes-moral/
- Mack, E. (2013), "Locke", in G. Gaus e F. D'Agostino (a cura di), Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy, New York and London: Routledge.
- Bertram , C. (2018), "Jean Jacques Rousseau", in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rousseau/
- Pievatolo, M.C. (2011), "Risposta alla domanda: che cosa è l'illuminismo? - Annotazione della curatrice", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze: Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s05.xhtml
- Pievatolo, M.C. (2011), "Sul detto comune: 'questo può essere giusto in teoria, ma non vale per la pratica' - Annotazione della curatrice", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze: Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s09.xhtml
Please note: Readings which are difficult to find are available on the Ariel website of the course.
2. Non-attendant students
- Bobbio, N. (1976), "Il modello giusnaturalistico", in Bobbio, N. e Bovero, M., Società e stato nella filosofia politica moderna, Milano: Il Saggiatore.
- Hobbes, T. (1651), Leviatano, Laterza - Capitoli: XIII, XIV, XV, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XXI.
- Locke, J. (1690), Secondo trattato sul governo, BUR - "Introduzione. Locke e la teoria politica liberale" di Tito Magri + Capitoli: II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XIII, XIV, XVIII.
- Rousseau, J.J. (1754), Discorso sull'origine della disuaglianza, Feltrinelli - Prima parte.
- Kant, I. (1784), "Risposta alla domanda: che cos'è l'illuminismo?", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s04.xhtml
- Pievatolo, M.C. (2011), "Risposta alla domanda: che cosa è l'illuminismo? - Annotazione della curatrice", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s05.xhtml
- Kant, I. (1793), "Sul detto comune: questo può essere giusto in teoria, ma non vale per la pratica", Seconda parte: "La relazione della teoria con la pratica nel diritto dello stato (contro Hobbes)", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s08.xhtml#controhobbes
- Pievatolo, M.C. (2011), "Sul detto comune: 'questo può essere giusto in teoria, ma non vale per la pratica' - Annotazione della curatrice", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze: Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s09.xhtml
Please note: Readings which are difficult to find are available on the Ariel website of the course.
1. Attendant students
- Bobbio, N. (1976), "Il modello giusnaturalistico", in Bobbio, N. e Bovero, M., Società e stato nella filosofia politica moderna, Milano: Il Saggiatore.
- Hobbes, T. (1651), Leviatano, Laterza - Capitoli: XIII, XIV, XV, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XXI.
- Locke, J. (1690), Secondo trattato sul governo, BUR - Capitoli: II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XIII, XIV, XVIII.
- Rousseau, J.J. (1754), Discorso sull'origine della disuaglianza, Feltrinelli - Prima parte.
- Rousseau, J.J. (1762), Il contratto sociale, BUR - Libro I (intero); Libro II, capitoli: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
- Kant, I. (1784), "Risposta alla domanda: che cos'è l'illuminismo?", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s04.xhtml
- Kant, I. (1793), "Sul detto comune: questo può essere giusto in teoria, ma non vale per la pratica", Seconda parte: "La relazione della teoria con la pratica nel diritto dello stato (contro Hobbes)", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s08.xhtml#controhobbes.
- Kant, I. (1797), Metafisica dei costumi - Paragrafi: 43, 45, 46, 47.
For further insights on the topics addressed during the course, here is a list of suggested readings:
- Matteucci, N. (1983), "Contrattualismo", in Bobbio, N., Matteucci, N. e Pasquino, G. (a cura di), Dizionario di politica, Torino: UTET.
- Friend, C., "Social contract theory", Internet Enclyclopedia of Philosophy: https://www.iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/
- Besussi, A. (2012), "Neocontrattualismo e teorie della giustizia", in L. Cedroni e M. Calloni (a cura di), Filosofia politica contemporanea, Milano: Le Monnier.
- Lloyd, S.A. e Sreedhar, S. (2018), "Hobbes's Moral and Political Philosophy", in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hobbes-moral/
- Mack, E. (2013), "Locke", in G. Gaus e F. D'Agostino (a cura di), Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy, New York and London: Routledge.
- Bertram , C. (2018), "Jean Jacques Rousseau", in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rousseau/
- Pievatolo, M.C. (2011), "Risposta alla domanda: che cosa è l'illuminismo? - Annotazione della curatrice", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze: Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s05.xhtml
- Pievatolo, M.C. (2011), "Sul detto comune: 'questo può essere giusto in teoria, ma non vale per la pratica' - Annotazione della curatrice", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze: Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s09.xhtml
Please note: Readings which are difficult to find are available on the Ariel website of the course.
2. Non-attendant students
- Bobbio, N. (1976), "Il modello giusnaturalistico", in Bobbio, N. e Bovero, M., Società e stato nella filosofia politica moderna, Milano: Il Saggiatore.
- Hobbes, T. (1651), Leviatano, Laterza - Capitoli: XIII, XIV, XV, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XXI.
- Locke, J. (1690), Secondo trattato sul governo, BUR - "Introduzione. Locke e la teoria politica liberale" di Tito Magri + Capitoli: II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XIII, XIV, XVIII.
- Rousseau, J.J. (1754), Discorso sull'origine della disuaglianza, Feltrinelli - Prima parte.
- Kant, I. (1784), "Risposta alla domanda: che cos'è l'illuminismo?", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s04.xhtml
- Pievatolo, M.C. (2011), "Risposta alla domanda: che cosa è l'illuminismo? - Annotazione della curatrice", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s05.xhtml
- Kant, I. (1793), "Sul detto comune: questo può essere giusto in teoria, ma non vale per la pratica", Seconda parte: "La relazione della teoria con la pratica nel diritto dello stato (contro Hobbes)", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s08.xhtml#controhobbes
- Pievatolo, M.C. (2011), "Sul detto comune: 'questo può essere giusto in teoria, ma non vale per la pratica' - Annotazione della curatrice", in M.C. Pievatolo (a cura di), Immanuel Kant: Sette scritti politici liberi, Firenze: Firenze University Press: https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/dida/kant_7/ar01s09.xhtml
Please note: Readings which are difficult to find are available on the Ariel website of the course.
Assessment methods and Criteria
1. Attendant students
The exam consists in a written test, which will be scheduled immediately after the end of the course on the occasion of an exam session specifically devoted to attendant students.
The written test comprises open questions, which are meant to ascertain the acquisition of appropriate knowledge and understanding of the topics addressed during lectures or in-class discussion and in the assigned readings. More precisely, the written test is meant to ascertain the students' capacity to appropriately frame their acquired knowledge with respect to specific questions and to summarize it in a punctual and precise way, to establish meaningful connections among the different topics covered by course, to grasp the implications of the relevant arguments and to assess, also in a comparative fashion, the adequacy of the different philosophical approaches addressed by the course.
2. Non-attendant students
The exam consists in a written test.
The written test comprises open questions, which are meant to ascertain the acquisition of appropriate knowledge and understanding of the topics addressed in the assigned readings. More precisely, the written test is meant to ascertain the students' capacity to appropriately frame their acquired knowledge with respect to specific questions and to summarize it in a punctual and precise way, to establish meaningful connections among the different topics covered by course program, to grasp the implications of the relevant arguments and to assess, also in a comparative fashion, the adequacy of the different philosophical approaches addressed by the course.
The exam consists in a written test, which will be scheduled immediately after the end of the course on the occasion of an exam session specifically devoted to attendant students.
The written test comprises open questions, which are meant to ascertain the acquisition of appropriate knowledge and understanding of the topics addressed during lectures or in-class discussion and in the assigned readings. More precisely, the written test is meant to ascertain the students' capacity to appropriately frame their acquired knowledge with respect to specific questions and to summarize it in a punctual and precise way, to establish meaningful connections among the different topics covered by course, to grasp the implications of the relevant arguments and to assess, also in a comparative fashion, the adequacy of the different philosophical approaches addressed by the course.
2. Non-attendant students
The exam consists in a written test.
The written test comprises open questions, which are meant to ascertain the acquisition of appropriate knowledge and understanding of the topics addressed in the assigned readings. More precisely, the written test is meant to ascertain the students' capacity to appropriately frame their acquired knowledge with respect to specific questions and to summarize it in a punctual and precise way, to establish meaningful connections among the different topics covered by course program, to grasp the implications of the relevant arguments and to assess, also in a comparative fashion, the adequacy of the different philosophical approaches addressed by the course.
SPS/01 - POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Pasquali Francesca
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)
Reception:
Upcoming office hours: Wednesday May 14th, 18:00-19:30, online and on campus; Tuesday May 20th, 14:30-16:00, online; Wednesday May 21st, 15;00-16:30, on campus; Wednesday May 28th, 14:30-16:00, on campus; May 28th, 16:00-17:30, online.
No appointment required to attend office hours, which are held online (on MS Teams: https://tinyurl.com/549e8pje) or on campus (Dept. of Social and political science, 2nd floor, room 205). For info about theses, check the following link: