Philosophy 116

This course will be taught in seminar format, with one weekly three-hour meeting and enrollment limited to twenty students. The topic of the seminar is equality and needs. Issues that will be raised include the following: How should we understand the political ideal of equality? Is there is something which justice requires people to have equal amounts of? If so, what? If not, is what matters that we have sufficient resources for flourishing? Should we give priority to the least well-off? What is the connection between the values of equality and fairness?

The course is intended for juniors and seniors with substantial background in philosophy. Philosophy 115 or the equivalent is a prerequisite, and the course will presuppose familiarity with Rawls’ A Theory of Justice. Readings will be drawn from a range of historical and contemporary sources: Rousseau, G. A. Cohen, Temkin, Dworkin, Raz, Frankfurt, Scanlon, Nagel, Scheffler, Parfit, Griffins, Foot and Wiggins.