Philosophy 2

In this course, we will read three philosophical works about the relationship between individual morality and social justice: Plato’s Republic, Hobbes’ Leviathan, and Rawls’ Theory of Justice. We will ask: What is the purpose of society? What makes a society a just one? What makes individuals just? What can the “state of nature” tell us about how societies are or ought to be formed? What aspects of the moral life of a human being are independent of his status as a citizen, and what ought to happen if there is a conflict between the two roles?