Modernity and the Idea of Freedom

Course content

This course is a senior seminar in political theory. The purpose of this course is to explore one of the key questions of the modern age: the question of freedom. The centrality of the notion of freedom and its definitive role in the political arena is undisputable. Nonetheless freedom appears as a specifically modern question. From the 17th century onward thinkers, who formed the grand narrative of Western European political thought, have dealt with the question of how to define political freedom: Is it the freedom of the individual (Hobbes) or the freedom in harmony with the general will (Rousseau)? Does the concept of freedom change from one culture to another (Tocqueville) or should it defined by the universal assumptions of political liberalism (Mill)? Can human mind conceive freedom a priori (Kant) or does freedom reveal itself in human history (Hegel)? Is political freedom tantamount to human emancipation (Marx) or should one consider different/unconventional paths to pursue political freedom (Derrida)? The exploration of such dynamic and differing approaches to the question of freedom through the reading of political theory texts, is one of the primary aims of this course.