Political philosophy Cato Sluyts
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Professor D.S. Helder & M. Cunningham
Assessment
- Final computer exam (= closed book)
o 1 large essay question testing your ability to connect and compare parts
of the content, and to develop a sustained argument of your own.
o 1 or 2 short answer question(s) to test your understanding of a part of the
theory of a philosopher or reading in relation to the theory of its author
- 2 essays
o Max. 1000 words each (but 500 is enough)
o Each essay counts for 4 points on the exam
o 1 essay must focus on the Rawls book, 1 essay must focus on another
reading of your choice (1-2 course texts)
o You choose the specific topic; the papers should develop a normative
argument (ought) and criticize or defend a particular theoretical position
§ Ask the “so what?”; why does it matter for a major point in the
theory of this author and find an internal critique (criticize the
author on their own terms)
§ Have a clear thesis (clearly defined in first paragraph)
à what do you need to refer to?
à show that you understand what you are discussing
§ Define your key concepts:
• The concepts you will criticize or analyze (50% of the essay)
• The concepts of your critique (e.g., idealistic, abstract, etc.)
• Explain and show the meaning of your critique
à show the author aims to do what you claim they fail to do
o The essays must be typed during the exam, but prepared at home
o You can bring 1 printed page (1 page in total; use the template on Toledo)
to the exam with your preparations for the essays (including, for example,
structure, bullet points, quotes, list of references). This page may not
contain handwriting. It must be handed in at the end of the exam.
o You are not allowed to use GenAI for your writing or for generating ideas.
We follow the instructions of the ‘Research and Writing Skills class’, see:
https://hiw.kuleuven.be/en/study/papers-theses-written-
work/plagiarism/use-of-generative-artificial-intelligence
o Optional: get comments by M. Cunningham if you submit, based on the
Mumford method, which will be elucidated, a one-page draft of one of the
papers by Friday 25 April to
Example exam questions
- Describe, compare and evaluate the reasons for leaving the state of nature and
entering civil society in the theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. As far as
the evaluation is concerned, provide an argument as to whether in your view the
gains (the benefits) of leaving the state of nature and entering civil society
outweigh the losses (the costs) in each case (that of Hobbes and that of Locke).
(Answer by writing an essay of max. 1 page; 8 points.)
1
,Political philosophy Cato Sluyts
- In the Essay ‘What is Freedom’, Arendt writes: The rise of totalitarianism, its
claim to having subordinated all spheres of life to the demands of politics and its
consistent nonrecognition of civil rights, above all the rights of privacy and the
right to freedom from politics, makes us doubt not only the coincidence of
politics and freedom but their very compatibility. We are inclined to believe that
freedom begins where politics ends, because we have seen that freedom has
disappeared when so-called political considerations overruled everything else.
Was not the liberal credo, "The less politics the more freedom," right after all?
- What does Arendt think about this liberal credo? Does she endorse it? Explain
her argument. (Answer max. 1/3 page; 4 points.)
Course material
- Slides + class notes + course reader (discussed in seminars (group 2))
- Rawls, J. ‘justice as fairness. A restatement.’ (ed. Erin Kelly), Harvard university
- ADDITIONAL: Peri Roberts and Peter Sutch (2012), second edition), ‘An
introduction to political thought. A conceptional toolkit.’ Edinburg university
à see relevant passages on last pptx
Contents
- Hobbes:
o Leviathan, Chapter 13-14
- Locke:
o And Treatise of Government, Chapter 2
- Rousseau:
o The Social Contract – Book 1, Chapter 1-9; Book 2, Chapter 1-3
- Marx:
o The Communist Manifesto
- Bentham:
o An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, Chapter 1
- Arendt:
o Between Past and Future, Chapter 4
- Fanon:
o Black Skin, White Masks; Chapter 1
- Rawls:
o Justice as Fairness: A Restatement, Preface & §1- §28 (Not in Reader)
- Rawls:
o Justice as Fairness: A Restatement, §29-§60 (Not in Reader)
- Kymlicka:
o Multicultural Citizenship, Chapter 5
- Young:
o Structural Injustice and the Politics of Difference
- Anderson:
o What Is the Point of Equality?
2
,Political philosophy Cato Sluyts
3
, Political philosophy Cato Sluyts
INTRODUCTION – 13/02
Domestic justice
- Utilitarianism: maximize welfare (Bentham, Singer)
- Libertarianism: ownership of self + object (Locke, Nozick)
- Liberal egalitarianism: liberty + equality (Rawls, Dworkin)
o Equal resources through maximin: inequalities allowed (1) if attached to
positions open to all and (2) if the least-advantaged benefit (Rawls)
o Equal resources - endowment-neutral and ambition-sensitive (Dworkin)
o Equal standing as citizens, ‘democratic equality’ (Anderson)
o Equality of gifts (Van Parijs)
o Equal capabilities (Sen, Nussbaum)
- Republicanism: non-domination (Tocqueville, Arendt, Pettit)
- Communitarianism: shared conception of the good life (Sandel, Taylor, Vallor)
- Marxism: end exploitation and alienation (Cohen)
- Critical theory: whatever is achieved by Herrschaftsfreie Kommunikation
(Habermas)
à domestic justice theory is morality implied through political reign
Peter singer
- Effective altruism
o E.g., 40.000 for a guide dog for a blind American or $20 to cure a person
from glaucoma in a developing country
Robert Nozick
- Opening lines of ‘anarchy, state, and utopia’:
o Individuals have rights, and there are things no person or group may do to
them (without violating their rights). So strong and far-reaching are these
rights that they raise the question of what, if anything, the state and its
officials may do. How much room do individual rights leave for the state?
o Our main conclusions about the state are that a minimal state, limited to
the narrow functions of protection against force, theft, fraud,
enforcement of contracts, and so on, is justified; that any more extensive
state will violate persons' rights not to be forced to do certain things, and
is unjustified; and that the minimal state is inspiring as well as right.
à ultraminimal (paid) versus minimal (redistributive)
à Chamberlain example
4
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Professor D.S. Helder & M. Cunningham
Assessment
- Final computer exam (= closed book)
o 1 large essay question testing your ability to connect and compare parts
of the content, and to develop a sustained argument of your own.
o 1 or 2 short answer question(s) to test your understanding of a part of the
theory of a philosopher or reading in relation to the theory of its author
- 2 essays
o Max. 1000 words each (but 500 is enough)
o Each essay counts for 4 points on the exam
o 1 essay must focus on the Rawls book, 1 essay must focus on another
reading of your choice (1-2 course texts)
o You choose the specific topic; the papers should develop a normative
argument (ought) and criticize or defend a particular theoretical position
§ Ask the “so what?”; why does it matter for a major point in the
theory of this author and find an internal critique (criticize the
author on their own terms)
§ Have a clear thesis (clearly defined in first paragraph)
à what do you need to refer to?
à show that you understand what you are discussing
§ Define your key concepts:
• The concepts you will criticize or analyze (50% of the essay)
• The concepts of your critique (e.g., idealistic, abstract, etc.)
• Explain and show the meaning of your critique
à show the author aims to do what you claim they fail to do
o The essays must be typed during the exam, but prepared at home
o You can bring 1 printed page (1 page in total; use the template on Toledo)
to the exam with your preparations for the essays (including, for example,
structure, bullet points, quotes, list of references). This page may not
contain handwriting. It must be handed in at the end of the exam.
o You are not allowed to use GenAI for your writing or for generating ideas.
We follow the instructions of the ‘Research and Writing Skills class’, see:
https://hiw.kuleuven.be/en/study/papers-theses-written-
work/plagiarism/use-of-generative-artificial-intelligence
o Optional: get comments by M. Cunningham if you submit, based on the
Mumford method, which will be elucidated, a one-page draft of one of the
papers by Friday 25 April to
Example exam questions
- Describe, compare and evaluate the reasons for leaving the state of nature and
entering civil society in the theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. As far as
the evaluation is concerned, provide an argument as to whether in your view the
gains (the benefits) of leaving the state of nature and entering civil society
outweigh the losses (the costs) in each case (that of Hobbes and that of Locke).
(Answer by writing an essay of max. 1 page; 8 points.)
1
,Political philosophy Cato Sluyts
- In the Essay ‘What is Freedom’, Arendt writes: The rise of totalitarianism, its
claim to having subordinated all spheres of life to the demands of politics and its
consistent nonrecognition of civil rights, above all the rights of privacy and the
right to freedom from politics, makes us doubt not only the coincidence of
politics and freedom but their very compatibility. We are inclined to believe that
freedom begins where politics ends, because we have seen that freedom has
disappeared when so-called political considerations overruled everything else.
Was not the liberal credo, "The less politics the more freedom," right after all?
- What does Arendt think about this liberal credo? Does she endorse it? Explain
her argument. (Answer max. 1/3 page; 4 points.)
Course material
- Slides + class notes + course reader (discussed in seminars (group 2))
- Rawls, J. ‘justice as fairness. A restatement.’ (ed. Erin Kelly), Harvard university
- ADDITIONAL: Peri Roberts and Peter Sutch (2012), second edition), ‘An
introduction to political thought. A conceptional toolkit.’ Edinburg university
à see relevant passages on last pptx
Contents
- Hobbes:
o Leviathan, Chapter 13-14
- Locke:
o And Treatise of Government, Chapter 2
- Rousseau:
o The Social Contract – Book 1, Chapter 1-9; Book 2, Chapter 1-3
- Marx:
o The Communist Manifesto
- Bentham:
o An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, Chapter 1
- Arendt:
o Between Past and Future, Chapter 4
- Fanon:
o Black Skin, White Masks; Chapter 1
- Rawls:
o Justice as Fairness: A Restatement, Preface & §1- §28 (Not in Reader)
- Rawls:
o Justice as Fairness: A Restatement, §29-§60 (Not in Reader)
- Kymlicka:
o Multicultural Citizenship, Chapter 5
- Young:
o Structural Injustice and the Politics of Difference
- Anderson:
o What Is the Point of Equality?
2
,Political philosophy Cato Sluyts
3
, Political philosophy Cato Sluyts
INTRODUCTION – 13/02
Domestic justice
- Utilitarianism: maximize welfare (Bentham, Singer)
- Libertarianism: ownership of self + object (Locke, Nozick)
- Liberal egalitarianism: liberty + equality (Rawls, Dworkin)
o Equal resources through maximin: inequalities allowed (1) if attached to
positions open to all and (2) if the least-advantaged benefit (Rawls)
o Equal resources - endowment-neutral and ambition-sensitive (Dworkin)
o Equal standing as citizens, ‘democratic equality’ (Anderson)
o Equality of gifts (Van Parijs)
o Equal capabilities (Sen, Nussbaum)
- Republicanism: non-domination (Tocqueville, Arendt, Pettit)
- Communitarianism: shared conception of the good life (Sandel, Taylor, Vallor)
- Marxism: end exploitation and alienation (Cohen)
- Critical theory: whatever is achieved by Herrschaftsfreie Kommunikation
(Habermas)
à domestic justice theory is morality implied through political reign
Peter singer
- Effective altruism
o E.g., 40.000 for a guide dog for a blind American or $20 to cure a person
from glaucoma in a developing country
Robert Nozick
- Opening lines of ‘anarchy, state, and utopia’:
o Individuals have rights, and there are things no person or group may do to
them (without violating their rights). So strong and far-reaching are these
rights that they raise the question of what, if anything, the state and its
officials may do. How much room do individual rights leave for the state?
o Our main conclusions about the state are that a minimal state, limited to
the narrow functions of protection against force, theft, fraud,
enforcement of contracts, and so on, is justified; that any more extensive
state will violate persons' rights not to be forced to do certain things, and
is unjustified; and that the minimal state is inspiring as well as right.
à ultraminimal (paid) versus minimal (redistributive)
à Chamberlain example
4
